The Internal Hive Queen
by KitWallace
Summary: Shibi Aburame was sent on a mission to the Magical World on the orders of his Hokage. For only certain Shinobi are allowed to venture that far from the Elemental Countries. What happens when on one chilly October night he comes across the one and only three-year-old battered and abused Harriet Potter...rest inside. I now have a Beta! Cheers for MM995!
1. Chapter 1 Revised

Summary: Shibi Aburame was sent on a mission to the Magical World on the orders of his Hokage. For only certain Shinobi are allowed to venture that far from the Elemental Countries. What happens on one chilly October night he comes across the one and only three year old battered and abused Harriet Lily Potter before he makes a decision that would rock the entire nations of the Magical world and Elemental Countries.

* * *

 **Chapter One**

Shibi Aburame was traveling swiftly through the chilly October air. He had been sent on a mission from the Hokage to observe the Magical World to make sure the one known as Voldemort was put down for good as rumors had stated. Approaching a neighborhood, he opted to stay within the shadows to avoid being detected in case there were any civilians out and about. Even though it was nearing two in the morning, which would mean no one should be even up at this hour. He was anxious to be home since his hive had been on guard and buzzing nearly none stop since they had left the elemental countries and entered the Mainlands.

It was the sound of sniffling and a whimper that had him pausing mid step upon the roof of a house. Tilting his head slowly, he searched his surroundings through his sunglasses-covered eyes. The sound reminded him of his son when he awakened from a nightmare and was slightly concerned that a child would be out at this time of night. Finally his eyes landed on a prone figure on the sidewalk a few houses down from where he was perched.

For some strange reason the patriarch of the Aburame clan moved to investigate, allowing his curiosity to get the best of him. As he approached on silent foot steps, he realized the prone figure was a small child, probably younger than his own son.

But what had him nearly itching to release his insects on some poor unsuspecting fool was that the child, female now that he took a closer look, was covered head to toe in dirt, cuts, bruises and blood. On top of that, she was dressed in something that was not even fit to be called a rag. To his rare surprise, his insects zeroed in all their attention on the small female and before he could retract them, several of his warriors moved zooming towards the female, buzzing around her and emitting concerned sounds.

"Pretty," murmured the little girl as she lifted her head, allowing him to get a better look at her. Her hair was matted, bearing the color of pure midnight, and her eyes were brighter than the purest of emeralds or earth beetles.

Her small red lips made an 'o' shape before she smiled brightly, wiping her tears away as one beetle landed on her nose. She giggled at the tickling sensation.

This was strange; his insects weren't usually... _partial_ to the emotions of other humans, except his own of course. However, as stepped even closer to her, he began to feel it and the answer wasn't so strange.

Magic.

It was no wonder his warriors had reacted before he himself did. Aburame insects were very sensitive to energy signatures. Aburame clan members themselves weren't really sensors, they just often gave that impression because their insects surreptitiously informed them, not that they had to try particularly hard. Other people, even ninjas, tend to ignore and underestimate the Aburame's little warriors... until they swarmed them and sucked them as dry of chakra as a corpse.

That'd teach them.

"Why are you outside? You should be inside where it is warm," commented Shibi as he came within touching distance of the child and nearly frowned as she flinched and looked at him with panic-filled eyes. She moved back and hunched down, as if to protect herself from him. That was worrisome "I have never harmed a child, especially one that looks younger than my own."

A whimper of terror set him on edge "Are the pretty insects yours, sir?" She asked with a timid tone as she stumbled a little over her words, even though she knew she was advanced for her age in speech and actions. Her uncle and aunt desired nothing less and much, much more. But even that thought was a little rough, her elder cousin Dudley being the only one she could base herself off of.

"They are. Will you answer me child?" Shibi asked, moving closer once he saw the child was not going to bolt in fear of him.

"Aunt Petunia says I no good girl, so I must stay outside till I stop doing freaky things," She muttered while looking down as tears filled her eyes. All she wanted was to get out of her cupboard and to find something to eat to stop being sick.

Shibi easily put two and two together and he had to frown. As an experienced jonin, he has seen more than his fair share of human vices, so this wasn't truly surprising. Of course, awareness by _no means_ meant grounds for him to turn a blind eye and act indifferent. If anything, taking action in such a situation was one of the many things that differentiated shinobi from the normally sheepish civilians.

The Aburame mentality on family and comrades was a combination of the inter-group dynamics valued among the ninja in Konoha and the 'hive' mentality of insects, which made the fact the girl suffered such mistreatment at the hand of her own kin all that much disgustingly unsettling.

Considering he had participated in the Third Shinobi World War, that was saying something.

Tilting his head, he observed closely as the small female played with his beetle warriors as they danced around her in order to cheer her up. From what Konoha knew of magic, it reflected on one's intent and emotions. Through it, his warriors easily sensed her distress and decided to try and do something about it since, consequently, it caused them discomfort as well.

Glancing up at the house she had been lying in front of, he thinned his mouth as he narrowed his eyes on the place that harbored her vile relatives. He was quick to come to a decision, one he knew could cause potential problems, but he couldn't find it in himself to give a damn.

"What is your name and how hold are you?" He asked her as she paused with a frown upon her face and scrunched up her nose cutely.

"Uncle Vernon calls me Freak only, and Auntie Petunia says I three years old." She beamed, holding up three fingers towards the male with a proud look, unaware he was feeling somewhat murderous towards her relatives.

Shibi Aburame had rarely felt this murderous in his entire life. His clan's teachings on emotional composure and objective acceptance of facts for what they were made sure of that. But the knowledge that she didn't even know her name and was malnourished - having a son her age made that piece of information known to him - tested his limits. Taking in a deep calming breath, he really looked at her and felt his heart soften at her child like innocence "Would you like to come home with me? I have a son your age that would love to have a sister."

She perked up, hope brimming in her wide eyes "You want me...but, mister, I nothing but freak with freak gifts as Uncle Vernon says. Aunt Petunia told me no one wants a freak and they had been forced to take me in," she spoke with her throat hurting as she felt like crying at the pain in her chest.

"I have insects that live within in me and am able to control them, among other things. That would make me even more freakish than you in the eyes of most. Besides, one of the strengths of freaks is they tend to band together. Come with me and you will never want for anything," he explained as simply as he could, even though she was proving to be uncommonly smart for her age.

"Would you be my papa?" She asked hopefully, even though she was scared too. What if he hit her like Uncle Vernon had done when she had dared to ask that of him?

"Would you like me to be?" The shinobi responded with a raised eyebrow. He was promptly was startled when she dove at him, causing him to catch her and raise her up in his arms. He cradled her as he scented her tears, causing his beetles to react again, swarming around her crying form. Tightening his arms around the child, he walked away from the neighborhood while she cried herself to sleep within his arms.

* * *

 **Four Days Later**

Shinobi were pragmatic and shinobi were logical. Reason was what governed them more than anything, which was why Hiruzen Sarutobi believed that ninjas and wizards would never get along, since the latter seemed to completely lack it. On that account, he sent Shibi Aburame to confirm the rumors regarding Voldemort's demise. He was a classical Aburame; calm, intelligent and objective. He would be the last man to take anything personal, in addition to having excellent tracking and information gathering skills.

Therefore, he was understandably dumbfounded when the man returned with an older-than-it-looks child in his arms, the little girl clinging to his overcoat. A reasonable man, he let Shibi explain himself. As he went on to explain how his mission went and the circumstances of his meeting with the child, he began to see why he had brought her with him.

When the younger man dropped the proverbial bomb with his last question, he had to question his decision again.

"Are you _absolutely_ sure about this, because I can't stop you unless I have a really good reason?" Not to mention it would be immoral to separate them, Sarutobi thought as his eyes settled on the wrapped up bundle within the male's arms. He questioned the notion of a child having a better life as a ninja than the relative safety of a civilian one.

The fact she was abused was bad enough, but if Shibi had chosen to leave her, there was truly a frightening possibility that her uncle would've one day snapped bad enough to actually kill her. Children make mistakes, it was completely normal. The same could not be said in the eyes of Vernon Dursley.

"I am, Lord Hokage," Shibi said with a curt tone as he was not budging on this issue. Before the night was over, she would be blood adopted into his home as his daughter and as Shino's twin sister.

The Third Hokage sighed "If she's to be adopted by you, she'll have to accept a hive of her own to avoid any speculation. Not only that, you've already mentioned her fondness for your insects. The lack of a hive among your clan members would only make her alienation issues worse. Are you not worried if a hive would have negative effects on her magic?"

"I've considered the issue. The magic doesn't seem to have any negative effect on the insects and I believe it to be similar enough to chakra to not be detrimental to her health. We'll monitor her condition to be certain," the Aburame stated. Through research, Konoha had found out that magic was an unusual combination of spiritual and physical energy. The difference was that the spiritual energy was extremely well-developed in comparison to those of shinobi. The only reason wizards weren't reincarnations of the Sage of Six Paths was because their physical energy was extremely weak, at least when compared to shinobi.

Hiruzen smirked "And you're not at all interested to see the results of integrating Aburame insects into a magical person?"

He was gratified to see Shibi straightened a little and adjusted his sunglasses, the closest thing his clan have as a blush "I am admittedly curious to witness the products of such a project."

The Hokage almost snorted. There were no documents acknowledging them as such, but the Aburame were recognized as the unofficial entomologists of Konoha. Therefore, by definition, they were scientists, and a scientist's curiosity is never sated.

"I _am_ surprised by how quickly your hive was... attracted to her. I'd figured they would more or less ignore her, having been accustomed to chakra," he said, gesturing towards the little girl in Shibi's arms.

"I theorize it happened exactly _because_ they're accustomed to chakra. When one is accustomed to something, deviations tend to stand out. Her very abuse is proof of that." Hiruzen nodded, it was a very plausible theory. The younger man seemed to contemplate before continuing "Nonetheless, I find my warriors' eagerness around her bemusing. I myself was able to sense her magic when I came close enough, despite being only three years old. She quite possibly has an extraordinarily large reserve of magic for someone her age."

The old man sighed. He was starting to see all the benefits of keeping her. He didn't like being like this, all scheming and utilitarian. It was a part of the ninja mindset he never fully adopted, which often ended up being both a gift and a curse. Ultimately, his job as Hokage necessitated it.

"Very well. I will register one Emiko Akemi Aburame, twin sister to Shino Aburame and only daughter of Shibi Aburame." Sarutobi nodded, trusting the man to know what he was doing.

Shibi bowed before he moved to leave the Tower and his leader behind to stew on the sudden turn of events. The Hokage had a strong feeling things were going to change, whether for better or worse was yet to be revealed.


	2. Chapter 2

Summary: Shibi Aburame was sent on a mission to the Magical World on the orders of his Hokage. For only certain Shinobi are allowed to venture that far from the Elemental Countries. What happens on one chilly October night he comes across the one and only three year old battered and abused Harriet Lily Potter before he makes a decision that would rock the entire nations of the Magical world and Elemental Countries.

I would like to thank King of Geth for presenting this challenge for me.

I would also like to thank my amazing Beta MM995 for doing a amazing job! Cheers for the next chapter!

 **Chapter Two**

"Lord Aburame?"

Shibi glanced up from his clan paperwork and stared at the woman before him. Eying her closely, he nodded for her to speak once more.

"My Lord, the Hokage is waiting in the main room with a kunoichi from Takigakure to speak with you... about Princess Emiko." She bowed as he nodded once more to her and left to attend back to the children. It was her job to watch over them, especially the young princess per her clan head's orders.

Standing from his desk, he walked from the room and headed for the main compound. Upon finding them waiting there, he observed the female. She held short, green, ear-length hair with orange eyes. Her tanned skin was covered by a white and black outfit. Her shinobi headband was tied around her left bicep with some sort of red, cylindrical object strapped to her back.

After a few seconds, she moved first by placing a hand on her hip, locking her eyes onto his form. He almost frowned as his warrior beetles were buzzing with a warning that this woman was more than she looked.

Far more.

"Shibi, I apologize for the unannounced visit. I would like for you to meet someone." Sarutobi nodded towards the woman, who kept her eyes on the leader of the Aburame Clan with an intense look.

"I'll cut to the chase. My name is Fu and I am the jinchūriki of the Seven-tails." Fu grinned cheerfully at the male, receiving a raised eyebrow from him as the Lord Hokage tilted his hat down some to cover his snort of amusement. It was rare for such important meetings to allow normally frowned upon displays of emotion, outright cheerfulness being at the top.

"I know of this. How do I know this? My hive informed me of your considerable and... unique chakra. What clued me in that you're a jinchuriki is that they were eager instead of frightened by your chakra capacity, which alludes to a form of connection, and I'm aware that the First Hokage had gifted the Seven-tails to Takigakure on the first five kage summit," Shibi spoke with a calm tone, unphased by her exuberance.

The jinchuriki grinned in response "Good. I will explain on why I am in your village," began Fu before her features softened to what Shibi would describe as resigned sorrow "I am dying. There is no cure," she said and twitched as the male's features remained immovably stoic.

"I see. I sympathize, but that does not explain why you have come to talk about my daughter," he pointed out bluntly. Ever since she joined the clan, he had been more or less overprotective of the little girl he had found and brought home a year ago. Due to the Hokage's presence and part in arranging this meeting, it was unlikely she was a danger to Emiko.

But the effectiveness of ninja wasn't founded on taking chances.

Still, that begged the question of why the jinchuriki was here and why the Hokage saw it fit to arrange this meeting. He assumed that Fu's status as a jinchuriki had something to do with it; she wouldn't have introduced herself as such otherwise.

"I came because we sensed her the moment she was brought to the Elemental Nations. Chomei even sensed her all the way from my village. The village chief saw the importance of this endeavor and has reluctantly agreed with my reasoning, as has your Hokage. I assume she has more than one type of insect within her hive, doesn't she?" Fu spoke with a calm diplomacy that her previous cheerfulness belied.

"She does," Shibi agreed, remembering the shocking events of the night that sent all the Aburames into research mode. A hive not only accepted her right away, but her hive was a perfect blend of more than one type of insect... more than one type of beetle to be accurate. Among her hive were the rare rinkaichu and soul beetles. His daughter was a fascinating little girl to hold more than one type, let alone those two.

"Chomei informed she is the one, she is the Internal Hive Queen." A flash of astonishment marred the man's face at her declaration, causing both his eyebrows to rise a bit above his sunglasses "So, it is with my wish that you allow me to transfer Chomei to your daughter before I die. The Aburame clan lives symbiotically with insects and are known never to underestimate anyone or condemn them as something inferior. No one here will disparage his existence as a tailed beast, especially since he's an insect. That's why I'm asking you if you will consent to her being the next jinchūriki of the Seven-tails."

For all his outstanding mental capabilities, the Aburame clan head had a hard time sorting through the onslaught of surprises and conflicting emotions. Surprise at Emiko's status as the Internal Hive Queen and Fu's offer, and conflicting emotions on what to do about it. The girl's IHQ status was unalterable, so there was nothing to be done about that. However, Fu's offer had him most uncomfortably torn.

The fatherly side of him did not want his daughter to bear this kind of burden on her too young shoulders. On the other hand, the shinobi in him recognized the advantage for his village in having not one, but two jinchūriki in the nigh-inevitable case of war breaking out.

There was even the scientist in him, which would like to observe on how well his daughter fared in becoming the Seven-tails holder and how the arthropod-like tailed beast would affect the hive of an Aburame.

He turned to the oldest person in the room "Lord Hokage, what are your wishes? The matter of jinchuriki concerns the whole village, it's beyond the opinion of a single clan."

The Hokage blinked before sighing "This is not an issue to make light of, Shibi. As the leader of this village, I _should_ pressure you into agreeing, but I've already decided that this perhaps isn't a matter best suited for me to settle. We both know the issues surrounding our current jinchuriki," Sarutobi spoke, sadness lacing his voice.

The younger man nodded "If I may be so bold, some of your decisions should have been thought through better, but it's not entirely your fault. Despite his intellect, Minato was too idealistic at times. I don't know what had gone through his head when he asked you to reveal _his_ status to the public, but you were merely trying to respect the wishes of a great man, Lord Hokage, foolish as he may have been occasionally."

He knew his friend sometimes had had his head in the clouds with some of his visionary ideas, but he didn't know what could have possibly rendered the usually prudent man so besotted as to see reason in revealing Naruto being the Nine-tails jinchuriki to the public _after_ nearly half of the village had been destroyed by the beast and all its citizens either dead or traumatized.

That only reinforced Hiruzen's advice on not making light of this situation. Even though it was the Nine-tails that had attacked Konoha four years ago, the mere idea of the Seven-tail's similar destructive power would cause fear and hatred within the rest of the populace, not only towards Emiko, but his entire clan.

He didn't believe in destiny. No Aburame did. It was illogical to believe that everything was set in stone. It was just highly probable that his daughter would go on to do great things, all things considered, but the road to greatness was paved with agonizing hardships.

After a minute of contemplation, he sighed resignedly "You understand what you are asking of me?"

Knowing that the question was directed at both of them, both Fu and Sarutobi nodded.

"Very well, on the condition that no one is to be told about this except for the members of the Aburame clan. That includes your... _advisors_ , Lord Hokage."

The Sandaime's first instinct was to convince him otherwise, but he managed to stop himself. In dribs and drabs, he started losing trust in Danzo and his former teammates as of late, especially Danzo. Though he knew the darker things were necessary in their line of work, he was sure Danzo orchestrated a lot of heinous operations behind his back. He was the worst sort of opportunist.

Koharu and Homura shared some of that opportunistic pragmatism and, while wise and knowledgeable, were rather militant in the similar manner the Raikages were infamous for. He didn't put it past the two to try legally claiming Emiko from the Aburame clan and put her in Danz's Root... and succeed.

He now understood why Shibi was unwilling to trust them with this. He nodded to show his concurrence.

The clan head turned to Fu "What will this entail?"

"Like the usual relationship between the Aburame and kikaichu, Chomei's relationship with Emiko will be symbiotic. Give and take. When using his chakra, Emiko'll have to give him some of hers in return. She also has to understand that when she becomes his jinchuriki, more than just her own life will rest in her hands. She-" the kunoichi began, but Shibi interrupter her.

"I thought tailed beasts reformed after their hosts died."

She pouted at him "Way to ruin the dramatic moment. FYI, yeah, he'll reform, but it's an unpleasant process that leaves him vulnerable. His chakra could be gathered by someone with unscrupulous intentions, and then we're all fucked. Of course, Chomei will do his best to keep her alive. For at least six months, I'll instruct her on how to handle his power. Chomei himself isn't the best teacher because he 'doesn't trust humans on principal'," she said while making quotation marks with her fingers "and because his chakra is natural to _him_. She needs someone with experience in handling chakra that is foreign within their own bodies."

Shibi nodded in understanding, when he suddenly remembered that there was still one problem with accepting this. That problem was his four year-old son, Shino. The two adoptive siblings were quick to bond, and from that bond, the need to protect arose. What's more, their insects intermingled often, which caused Shino to become immune to the poisonous rinkaichu that Emiko's body housed.

He wasn't sure how he was going to break this to him, to either of them. He should have thought this through a bit more. 'Winging it' wasn't really the Aburame style.

"Come, but don't get too close too soon. Shino is quite protective of his sister," he warned as he turned to leave the room, both the Hokage and Fu following after him.

Coming to a small garden, the kunoichi was curious as she heard the giggles of a young girl. When she stepped further inside, she caught her first glimpse of who she knew was the Internal Hive Queen.

Her hair was falling down to her lower back in thick, but silky midnight waves. She was fair-skinned with only a hint of tan, but what really upped her wow factor were her eyes. They were the most beautiful shade of emerald green she had ever seen. A long-sleeved, dark green shirt that went down to her knees covered her top half, while black pants and slipper-like shoes covered her lower half.

Emiko Aburame was running around, chasing a warrior beetle that was dancing just a little out of her reach in a playful manner. She had to blink when she noticed a little boy that was basically the kindergarten version of Shibi. It was easy to guess that he was Shino, the clan head's son. What caused Fu to nearly give Shibi a deadpan look was that Shino was already wearing the traditional Aburame clothes, consisting of a long coat and sunglasses.

"Emiko," the man spoke, stilling the running child as she looked over to him. She smiled brightly before running up to them. The little girl stopped in front of her father and held her hands up, to which he responded by bending down and lifting her up into his arms as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

"Papa!" Emiko cheered as her twin brother started walking over to them at a much more sedate pace. For the moment, the two were almost polar opposites.

Shibi felt a little bad that a lot of her unmitigated vigor would have to be curbed, but it didn't change the fact he would have to teach her how to better control her emotions. It wasn't because of some sense of clan tradition, but for pragmatic values. Knowing how to keep her composure would help Emiko both in and outside of her ninja life, especially in maintaining sound judgement.

Plus, it would help erase any doubts others might have about her false Aburame heritage. Clan heads didn't just pick children off the streets and inaugurate them into their clan, let alone the main family. Shibi wanted to avoid as much suspicion towards his adoptive daughter as possible. If not, he felt he would never let her out of the house.

The one thing he believed should be changed though is the sunglasses. His daughter's eyes were to beautiful to be veiled by black plastic.

The girl suddenly straightened in his arms and gave the best bow she could while still held up "Hello, Lord Hokage."

"Hello, Emi-chan." Sarutobi chuckled. The female had been shy around him once upon a time, especially when she had ducked her head, scuffing the ground with her sandal as she meekly asked him if she could call him grandpa. However, her father had insisted that she called him and others not of their family by their proper titles. He considered it the first step in teaching her the Aburame brand of conduct.

"What's going on, father?" Shino frowned behind the collar of his jacket as he tugged his twin sister to his side after she being put back down. He might only be four years old, but he was prodigy of his clan alongside his twin, and was smarter than most kids his age. No matter how young they were, he and his hive could sense the vague tension in the air.

"We have something to discuss with Emiko," Shibi answered. He cut off his son before he could ask any questions "You may stay and listen, Shino. It would be best that you be informed of the following events, so you could better protect your sister and understand her predicament."

Though he did stiffen slightly, the man was proud that he only nodded beyond that. Aburames were not known for extruding many emotions and there was a reason why the clan members were taught to control themselves from a young age. If they had regular tantrums like other children did, than they could lose control over their hive and possibly harm someone on accident.

"Papa? Who's the pretty lady?" Emiko asked softly, also sensing that something was going on. Her hive queen was buzzing almost hysterically, giving her mixed signals. She was warning her that the lady was powerful and dangerous, but despite that was also urging her to get closer.

"My name is Fu, Emiko. I came all the way to your village to meet you personally. You see, I hold something special within me like you hold your hive," Fu said gently, but with firmness.

"So you hold something like our hives within you?" Emiko's eyes widened in curiosity towards the woman, tilting her head to the side.

"Yes and no. I don't hold a hive, but I do hold an insect... if you can call him that. He's called Chomei, but other people know him better as the Seven Tailed Rhinoceros Beetle. That makes me a jinchuriki. He's... well, he can be a tough nut at times, but he's a playful softy too, and _really_ loyal if he trusts you," began Fu. She could tell this child was more than intelligent enough to understand her "You see, I don't have much longer to live. Maybe two years at the most and when I die, he will have to be placed into someone new. He's already chosen you for this, ever since he sensed you enter the Elemental Nations, and he's been a real pain in the keister in his insistence."

She took a deep breath before continuing "Everything that could be discussed was talked over and all the arrangements are made. It's our wish and hope that you won't abuse him or the power that he'll bestow upon you when you take him inside you. Make no mistake, Chomei is _extremely_ powerful," she finished as Emiko's expression turned uncertain, but with a slight gleam of excitement in her eyes too.

" _When_?" Shino gave her a sharp look.

"Yes," his father added, causing the boy to cast his glare at him "This is a unique opportunity for both the clan and the village. I'm sorry, but either of your opinions are ultimately irrelevant in this. It's happening."

Shino was almost trembling in anger, but stopped when his sister grabbed his left bicep. He stared at her, who only tightened her grip a bit. Eventually he settled down, though he still felt rather betrayed.

Shibi sighed and crouched down before putting a hand on their shoulders "No one will treat Emiko any differently than before, nor will anyone outside the need-to-know basis be aware. The Hokage has already given me his word to keep it secret." He gestured towards the old man, who nodded with a reassuring smile. No way was he going to make the same mistake he did with Naruto.

The clan head's thoughts were more preoccupied by an old, bandaged figure than Konoha's general populace. Danzo had already stolen one of his children; the son of his best friend. He'd rather throw discipline to the wind and kill the war hawk before he allowed him to take his daughter.

"He's your best friend, like my hive is to me?" Emiko asked with a small tone. She never wanted anyone to feel the pain she had felt in her life which caused determination to well within her when Fu nodded "I will do it! I don't want your best friend to end up with a bad person!" She didn't notice Sarutobi's proud expression or her father trying to block the fear and pride at her becoming a jinchuriki.

"Splendid. I'll start teaching you tomorrow morning. It'll be rough, especially since you are so young. Being a jinchuriki and handling a tailed beast's chakra isn't something to scoff at," Fu spoke with a grin, and gave the silent Aburame boy a smirk. He seemed to glare at her through his sunglasses, she mentally snorted at the weirdness of it "If your brother wants to join us, he can, but I'll have to make it hard for him too, future jinchuriki or not. Wouldn't want him to feel left out, now would we?"

As the two children went back to playing, Shibi approached her "Thank you for deciding to train Emiko."

"It's alright, but that won't be enough," she said, causing him to stare at her in confusion "Jinchuriki are public knowledge. If not their identities, then their powers. She'll need to be taught more than just how to control Chomei's chakra. If she becomes predictable through it, someone _will_ come along and kill her. Maybe worse."

He almost bristled at the very thought "I see your point, but I'm not sure if she'll manage learning how to control her jinchuriki powers as well as learning other skills."

"She will," she responded with utmost confidence. Shibi was surprised by her assurance in Emiko's capabilities, considering she had only met her today. Perhaps it had something to do with her being the Internal Hive Queen.

"I'm not sure what's causing you to have such faith in my daughter, but thank you."

She scoffed "And you call yourself a parent. Besides, faith ain't got nothing to do with it." The kunoichi gazed at him in a considering manner "Do you know how the Internal Hive Queen came to be?"

He wasn't expecting that question. He contemplated his answer; no, he didn't know, so he decided to answer with what he did "The Internal Hive Queen is a kekkei genkai-like phenomenon that appears every so often within a female human, an ability which allows her to control every form of insect there is. The Aburame clan has had three of them so far in recorded history. Four as of today. That's all we know."

"That's all accurate enough. The reason why I'm certain that Emiko won't have _too_ much trouble learning how to control Chomei's power is because of Chomei himself. He's the one that created the whole Internal Hive Queen." She smirked at the eyebrows that rose above the man's sunglasses in shock.

To her slight consternation, he was quick to compose his features "Explain," he said as if ordering a subordinate.

"Long ago, way before the era of the hidden villages, a couple of ninja clans tried to capture Chomei for his power. In an attempt to evade them, he released a great burst of chakra. It was successful, but had... unintended consequences. His chakra permeated the air and affected the living beings there, including those of the people of the two clans. The clan members gained the ability to bond with insects that gradually grew generation after generation, Chomei's chakra becoming a genetic trait the more it fused with the human chakra. One of those became the First Tsuchikage's clan and the other-"

"The Aburame clan," Shibi finished with a hint of awe in his voice.

She grinned "Correct. However, although it's a genetic trait, a kekkei genkai it isn't. The clan members can only bond with one type of insect, like the kikaichu. But every now and then, that genetic trait becomes dominant, and the carrier gains the ability to control virtually all insects. Through that trait, Emiko is connected to Chomei. She, and all the other Internal Hive Queens that existed, are his accidental legacy. Her chakra is unusually large and dense, isn't it?"

Shibi was silent as he took it all in. It all made sense; her chakra, her abilities, everything. His daughter was basically Chomei's... grandchild or something. He was way out of his depth here. He knew Emiko was special, but this? It was baffling enough that an Internal Hive Queen was found outside the Elemental Nations.

When he spoke next, his voice was uncommonly soft "So, essentially, she is related to him?"

Fu laughed, after which she smirked widely, like she heard a funny joke "Yes. Yes, she is."

* * *

 **A Few Hours Later**

"Shino?" Emiko asked with a timid tone as she crawled out of her bed and walked over to her brother.

"Emiko?" he murmured sleepily, sitting up and locking his honey-comb eyes onto her form, and frowned. She looked scared. He pushed back the blanket and allowed her to crawl into his bed before laying back down with yawn, "What's the matter? Have another nightmare?"

He knew his sister sometimes still suffered from them. It was possible that today's events unsettled her enough to cause them to resurface. Damn that kunoichi.

"We'll always be close, right? Even after I become a jinchūriki?" she whimpered out in fear, Fu having explained on how a lot of the jinchūriki were treated by those that did not understand them. She was fortunate that the Hokage had decided to keep it a secret, but her family still knew and she was afraid if she was going to lose them.

"Yes. Father and I will always be here for you. You're my twin and nothing will change that. Besides, Chomei is the greatest of all insects. All within our clan will have nothing but respect for him, if not worship," muttered Shino as he only ever showed his emotions to her, but tried to remain logical all the same.

"Love you, Shino." Emiko snuggled against her elder twin's side and fell back to sleep, reassured that he wouldn't abandon her.


	3. Chapter 3

Summary: Shibi Aburame was sent on a mission to the Magical World on the orders of his Hokage. For only certain Shinobi are allowed to venture that far from the Elemental Countries. What happens on one chilly October night he comes across the one and only three year old battered and abused Harriet Lily Potter before he makes a decision that would rock the entire nations of the Magical world and Elemental Countries.

 **Important announcement: Sorry to say this but Shibi has no wife. His wife had died when Shino was a baby. And if others do not like this than I am sorry for that. But he wont be alone for long trust me on that one.**

 **Chapter Three**

"Um, Nina-san?" Emiko spoke softly to her nanny, causing the tall woman to glance down at her in question. The two females were in the tailor shop, buying Emiko's new garbs. "Papa wants me to start dressing like an Aburame, doesn't he? So the others of the village don't treat me any different?"

The woman hummed in contemplation, trying to find the words that would best describe the situation "Yes, Lady Emiko. Shinobi can't afford to take things for granted, which is both good and bad for newcomers."

"How does that work?" her charge asked curiously.

"It means they're not so insular as to be hateful towards them, but neither are they so friendly as to be naively welcoming. Spies are always a possibility when it comes to ninjas, and ninjas are masters of disguise and pretend. Anyone could be a spy, even a four year-old like yourself," said Nina seriously, but with a patient, understanding tone. Having been married into the clan before her husband had fallen in battle, she was 'forgiven' for her occasional displays of emotion, and no one could deny her combat prowess. It was why Lord Aburame had appointed her as the child's nanny and protector till she was capable enough to protect herself.

Emiko nodded with a slight grimace, conveying she understood, but didn't necessarily like it "Is papa gonna enroll me and Shino into the academy soon?" she inquired as she stayed as still as possible for the tailor, who was taking her sizes down with a hum.

"Yes, you're close to the age at which the academy accepts new students. Still, I'm sure it'll happen after you've finished your training with Fu-san." The girl was probably also going to spend some time adjusting to having a tailed beast in her body, something Fu could only prepare her for at best, considering she was going to die after the procedure of transferring the Seven-tails into the new host.

It was also morbidly convenient, as it would give time for Emiko to mourn, regardless of the fact she knew it would happen.

When they were finished, she put on one of her brother's coats, wearing it at his insistence until her own clothing was made. She could hardly wait, as she already had a few ideas to... accessorize so to speak. She was both glad and wistful for her father allowing her not to cover her eyes with anything. It was _the_ trademark Aburame piece of attire. She didn't particularly like them, at least not on herself (nor did her her brother and papa for that matter), but not wearing it could also set her apart from the rest of her clan.

Shibi, in an unusual showing of sentiment that seemed to be reserved only for his daughter, had reassured her it was because she was special.

The clan was quick to accept it. High status came with privileges after all.

What's more, unlike Torune and his father, she didn't have to wear gloves. As the Internal Hive Queen, she could command her rinkaichu not to infect a person when they came in contact with her skin. She had stumbled upon that little tidbit by accident, when one of her clan members had mentioned the two other rinkaichu wielders. Curiosity having gotten the better of her, she had asked Shibi about it.

The clan head ended up telling his daughter about her being Internal Hive Queen, though earlier than expected (or wanted). He and Fu had decided to give her some time to let the fact that she was going to be a jinchuriki sink in before breaking the news to Emiko about her powers. To say she was flabbergasted would be an understatement, but it gave her some answers.

She had been told about her future status as a jinchuriki first due to the need for Fu's training, having limited time with her deteriorating health.

The heiress just accepted it. So far, nothing but good things seemed to come of it.

About an hour after they were done in the tailor shop, Emiko was acquainting herself with the village, her nanny walking beside her. This was the longest time she had been in the village. She didn't go outside the clan compound much, and the times she had were short trips with either her father or Nina. As she watched various children playing with each other, she realized just how bored she had been feeling lately.

The Aburame were all work and no play, which made them a pretty dull clan at times. Well, at least in the perspective of a playful four year-old with lingering attention issues. She knew she was being unfair. Even for her, the clan wouldn't start changing customs. Shibi had taken a risk when he had adopted her; the least she could do was conform.

However, things had become a lot more fun after Fu's arrival. The woman was the Abuame antithesis; cheerful as opposed to stoic, and humorous as opposed to humdrum. She often tried to engage the others of her clan into a debate or just regular chit-chat, but those usually ended with her stomping off and muttering about robots.

But it still didn't make the ache in her chest ago away, the longing for a friend outside the parity of the Aburame clan. That was the whole reason for the extended trip, her papa having finally conceded to her wishes.

A yelp of pain caught her attention, causing her to pause completely, which caused Nina to stop as well. She frowned in concern before running towards the source after hearing another painful yelp, ignoring her nanny's shouts to stop. When she came to a playground, her face paled at the sight.

Three adults, sneers adorning their faces, were gathered around a boy her age with bright blonde hair. She narrowed her eyes in anger when she heard them taunting the boy.

"Lady Emiko, calm yourself," said Nina in a nearly commanding tone, her concerned look blocked by her sunglasses. She by no means agreed with what the three civilians were doing. If anything, she felt the same as Emiko. Besides, the Fourth Hokage had asked of his village to consider Naruto Uzumaki a hero, and she did not presume to question her Hokage's judgement or go against his dying wish.

Shock filled her when, before she could stop her, the little girl darted forward with impressive speed, putting herself between the men and the young boy.

"Leave him alone, you big bullies!" Emiko snapped with a cold look at the pieces of scum in front of her. As her hive reacted to her emotions, the heiress also felt something else stir within her.

"Back off, little girl. This has nothing to do with you." One of them frowned, the drunken rage still clouding his thoughts, but having enough presence of mind to know the depravity of hurting an infant.

However, the blonde-haired brat behind her was a whole other story.

" _You_ back off or else! What kind of grown man hurts a kid?" she growled, feeling angrier by the second as the looks in their eyes reminded her of Uncle Vernon.

"Didn't you hear him? He said move!" yelled out another of them, either not having the compunction his friend did or was even more hammered than him. He was raising his hand before his wrist was caught in a crushing grip. He froze as his eyes connected with the ones obscured by sunglasses of the woman who suddenly found herself next to him.

She glared at him for a few moments, the men frozen by the faint killing intent she was releasing. _Civilians,_ she scoffed mentally "Lady Emiko asked you a valid question, gentlemen. What kind of grown man hurts a child?" She punctuated her statement by slightly tightening her grip and increasing the dosage oh KI.

They all winced, one in pain and the other two in fear. None of them missed the way the woman, obviously a shinobi, had referred to Emiko as 'Lady'. "W-We were just trying teach the little demon brat a lesson!" stuttered out the first man. Their eyes widened in horror when her warrior beetles began coming out of her sleeves.

"Then you are not grown men, but playground bullies. Mere naughty children, and like naughty children, you ought to be punished," Nina snarled before she moved and threw the male into a tree. She nearly smirked when she heard them gulp.

Despite the actions of her nanny, Emiko's anger did not abate, but only grew further. The moment they had called the boy a 'demon brat', she knew who he was. Uncle Vernon was one thing, he was a xenophobe, but the blond-haired child was an unwilling vessel for a creature that almost destroyed the village. A living boundary between annihilation and existence.

Their treatment of him was sheer, unadulterated and thankless hypocrisy. She would _not_ stand for that.

The energy she had felt stirring now felt as if it was at her fingertips. When her instincts told her to thrust her hand forward, towards the three civilians, she did just that. The result was not what she expected.

All three of them shouted in alarm as they floated about a dozen feet into the air. Not questioning the sudden magical feat, she released her warrior beetles and commanded them to fly in a circle around the flailing adults. It got them to shut up.

"You're _never_ going to hurt him again. Is that clear?" she said sternly, glaring at them. They nodded frantically, one of them even crying to her slight satisfaction, before promptly falling back down. All three ran for it as soon as they got back up. She turned towards the blond boy.

"Are you okay?" Emiko knelt on the ground in front of him before reaching out to touch his bruised cheek. To her consternation, he flinched away from her. He locked his wary sky-blue eyes with her own bright emerald-green ones.

"Why did ya help me?" muttered the boy as he frowned at her, causing her to frown back in confusion.

"Adults shouldn't beat up kids." That was something her papa had instilled into her after being brought here, that the Dursleys had no right to do what they did "I am Lady Emiko Akemi Aburame, heiress of the Aburame Clan," she answered as cheerfully as possible while retaining some of her clan's decorum. Though the introduction did seem a bit uppity in her opinion, she was proud of her status. All her status'.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he responded somewhat timidly, but she noticed his shoulders relaxed and a smile started blooming on his face.

Emiko nodded with a smile before her face adopted a nervous expression and her foot scuffed the ground. She cursed herself; this was the opportunity she was looking for and she was too chicken to speak.

No. She wouldn't be that weak little girl her 'family' abused. She was _not_ that spineless anymore. Gathering her courage, she took a deep breath and finally spoke "Hey, Naruto-kun, wanna be friends?" She held out her hand for him to take.

"Really? You really wanna be my friend?" Naruto asked in disbelief.

"Sure! You would be my first friend outside of the Clan! What do you say? Friends?" She grinned, bouncing on the balls of her feet as her hive confirmed her suspicions about him. He was a jinchuriki, like she would be, but that only made her more eager to bond with him.

"BEST FRIENDS! BELIEVE IT!" Naruto shouted before he promptly hugged the female, which shocked her completely. He was afraid he rushed things, but his fears were assuaged when she gave him a shy hug back.

Naruto _was_ perhaps a bit overenthusiastic, but she, of all people, had no room to talk. After all, the girl whose name used to be Harriet Lily Potter had been the same with Shibi Aburame. Nobody could understand the boy in front of her better than Emiko Akemi Aburame.

"You can come by the compound any time you want. I will talk to papa and I just know he will be okay with it," she reassured the Nine-tails jinchuriki as he pulled back with a blinding grin.

Nina watched the two talk and leaned back against a tree, an odd sense peace washing over her. Sensing something, she looked up and found an Anbu with a dog mask crouching in one of the trees, and fought the urge in lashing out at the male with silver hair. She knew he had been there the whole time and hadn't lifted a finger to help the child that was being beat on.

Meeting his covered eyes, she made sure he could see how displeased she was. The woman would report his behavior to the Hokage. It was unbecoming of a Leaf shinobi, and wouldn't pass without due reprimand or punishment.

"Here." She took out a jar with white cream from inside her brother's coat "I always have some ointment on me. Papa says its always good to carry some, no matter where you go. Just apply it to your wounds and it'll help you." Emiko held out the ointment for him and saw his tears of happiness in his eyes before he nodded fast.

"Thanks Emiko-chan." He grinned wide as she smiled back with a pleased look. Both of them jumped, startled, when the girl's nanny laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Lady Emiko, we must head home now. It will be lunchtime soon and you have to attend your lessons with Fu-san," the older woman spoke gently. She hid a smile when the boy's shoulders sagged, not being able to help but imagine long dog-like ears sagging along with them.

"Come and visit. I will ask papa to let the others know that you can come over," she said reassuringly, causing Naruto to pause before smiling at her with a happy nod before he took off running. To Nina's confusion, Emiko frowned after the boy left "Nina-san?"

"Yes, milady?"

"Being who he is, do you think papa will mind me being friends with him?" That was not the question she had expected. Fortunately, her Aburame training allowed for a small raising of her eyebrows as the only show of surprise. She quickly composed herself - not that she had really lost any composure for anyone outside the Aburame clan - quickly coming to the realization that her hive must have sensed it and informed her.

"I don't know. It's a possibility. As the clan head, he must take the reputation of the clan into account," she answered after a few moments of contemplation. She continued when she saw the heiress' downtrodden expression "However, our clan doesn't concern itself with the opinions of civilians as much as some of the others do, and most of the other clan heads are neutral towards Naruto. Even so your father cares about your feelings and having another jinchuriki as a friend could be beneficial for both of you, as well as the village. That way we could ensure his loyalty to Konoha, and the mistreatment at the hands of the civilians would make him more partial towards the ninja lifestyle."

Emiko nodded in understanding. Although it sounded manipulative and distasteful, she knew the necessity of such actions. She couldn't really complain, as it would ensure she got Naruto as a friend outside the clan.

And besides, what was so immoral about a shunned child finally befriending someone? Her father might allow it for selfish or utilitarian motives, but in her opinion, sometimes it was better to do morally right acts for selfish reasons, than not do them at all in fear of someone accusing you of selfishness.

* * *

 **Hokage Tower, Next Morning**

"Come in."

Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork to see Shibi Aburame walk into his office. He was not surprised as one of his subordinates, his daughter's nanny he believed, had come to him last evening to report misconduct on part of one of his Anbu. He _had been_ surprised to find out it was one Kakashi Hatake, the man assigned to watch over Naruto from the shadows.

He was sorely disappointed in the young man, both for the display of unprofessional attitude and the moral reprehensibility of it. Many of his ninjas had emotional issues, but their personal matters were not his to deal with. The best he could do was recommend they see a psychiatrist. However, it became his business when it affected their work. He was already planning to summon him this afternoon.

Apart from that, she had told him what else had transpired in vague terms and had said that Shibi would most likely come to see him the next day.

"What can I do for you, Shibi?" he asked.

"I want you to allow Emiko to befriend one Naruto Uzumaki," he responded bluntly.

The Hokage appeared to think. Even though the law concerning Naruto's status existed so he could have a better shot at making friends, Fu was currently residing with the Aburame, and Emiko was to be next Seven-tails jinchuriki. His own status could very well be revealed to him, which he was reluctant to allow "Before I do that, would you tell me why you think I should? Have you considered all the factors?"

"I have." Shibi inclined his head. His daughter and her assigned guardian had come to his office yesterday afternoon and had told him of the events that occurred. He was understandably impressed by her show of magic, but had mixed feelings about her request. However, Nina had talked to him afterwards, giving him a few convincing arguments. After thinking about it himself, he finally conceded that there were far more pros than cons.

He knew many things would come into play here and that things were going to become hard for her, which he found difficult to accept as her father. That was one of the principal reasons why it was avoided that jinchuriki be a part of any of the Konoha clans; conflict of interest. To look at one's family member while emotionally detached was nigh-impossible, even for an Aburame.

At least, it was so in Konoha.

He focused back on his leader "So far, Naruto has been treated with nothing but contempt by the villagers. Lord Hokage, there is nothing truly connecting him to Konoha. If he becomes friends with my daughter, and the clan in extension, he would surely feel a stronger sense of loyalty. Furthermore, if the shinobi were the ones to pick him up from the dirt, he would be more inclined to become a ninja, the fact he would've had to be one either way notwithstanding."

"Which could also spawn a hatred for the civilians, who make up over half of our population," Hiruzen added "Such conflicting thoughts on the village could have unforeseen consequences."

"I'm already considering putting him through a rudimentary course on emotional control. It would help him in his career as a ninja in the long run as well," Shibi said.

"What about Fu? If he starts asking questions on her presence there, or her lessons with Emiko, he could learn about the Nine-tails imprisoned within him," the Hokage warned in a slightly sterner tone, while pulling out his pipe.

"I believe it would be for the best."

The older man gazed up at him calmly, but still made him feel a bit unnerved, as he lit his pipe "How so?"

Shibi straightened as he began explaining "All human beings have a need for closure and all human beings, to some extent, believe that things happen for a reason. Naruto would be much happier if he knew the reason for his mistreatment, than suffered without knowing why. If he suffers like that, and is told the reason at a much later date, he's more likely to feel betrayed, especially if he finds out that was why he was denied friendship with the one person his age who accepted him."

That hit the proverbial nail on the head. Morally and pragmatically, Shibi was absolutely right. Naruto had just gotten his hopes up like never before; tearing them down would make him lose all trust in him and Konoha, and no excuses such as 'for the greater good' or 'it's for the best' would work on an infant child with serious emotional issues.

Sarutobi sighed, days like these made him feel more like a failure as he grew older.

After giving his leader a minute to think, the younger shinobi continued "I believe Fu's presence here is most opportune." Hiruzen raised an eyebrow "As we know, her time here is limited. Should we keep his status from him, the burden of teaching him control of his tailed beast would fall on Emiko's shoulders when he does find out... but she's too young and there's no guarantee of how things will go between her and the Seven-tails, even with her IHQ status."

The Hokage caught on what he was saying "But as long as Fu is here, the two could learn from her simultaneously."

"Precisely, and at an age in which he is very malleable and intelligent enough to learn." Shibi nodded.

The Hokage had to applaud the man for his cunning. The Aburame-brand of logical approach to things ran strongly within him "Very well. I will go and speak with him. Even though I believe Jiraiya would manage to do an able job, I agree this is an opportunity that shouldn't be missed. Please inform Fu on her new task."

Shibi bowed before turning to leave the office, only to pause as Danzo was standing right outside.

"Ah, Shibi, how are your children, especially your heiress?" Danzo said with a perfect poker face, which made even him feel just a slight bit envious. Though the bandages did help a lot in that regard.

"They are both well," he answered as he kept his gaze on the old man, not a hint of emotion in his lone visible eye.

The war hawk nodded "You are a trusted and capable member of our forces. I'm certain your daughter shows much potential for you to adopt her, and I'm certain you could be trusted to bring out that potential to the surface, for the good of Konoha."

The clan head was certain the man was being honest, unusually so. The only times Danzo ever seemed to be sincere was when he preached about the superiority of the Hidden Leaf Village to all others. While Shibi loved his home, he wasn't so arrogant to put it on a moral pedestal. It was kind of hard to do when people like Danzo are allowed to have so much power.

The older man was probably lamenting the fact he wouldn't get to figure out her potential until much, _much_ later, nor would he have any say in her training. With a smug nod - a regular one in the eyes of mere mortals - he continued on his journey home.

* * *

 **One Week Later**

Shibi stood in the training room with Fu and his son, waiting for his daughter to come back with Naruto in tow. One of his subordinates had come to inform them that the boy was at their gates, today being the first day he would be joining them in their training.

But first, he would have a few words with him.

Four days ago, the shinobi clan heads of Konoha, along with the Hokage, had surreptitiously gathered in the Aburame compound for a meeting. It was unorthodox practice, but he wasn't willing to risk the three aged advisers barging in unannounced. There, he and the Sandaime explained the situation to them, considering them trustworthy enough to not reveal anything that was said or make any rash decisions.

Though there were some protests regarding favoritism towards the Aburame clan, they were effectively silenced when reminded that, for the sake of Konoha, the opportunity was too important to be dismissed. What made some of them shift uncomfortably and even glance down in shame was Shibi's rebuke that Naruto was not a part of his clan, and there was no law whatsoever that prohibited their children from befriending the blond boy. His daughter was just brave and kind enough to do it first.

As the Hokage then added immediately after, the law regarding Naruto's jinchuriki status _existed_ so that there would be hope for him to make friends.

They all agreed to keep quiet about it in the end.

He watched Emiko and Naruto enter the room, the male child looking around in wonder. It was probably his first time ever in a home as well-furnished as this one. When they stopped in front of him, Naruto just stared up at him blankly, and he stared back. After a few moments, he almost snorted when his daughter lightly elbowed the boy in his ribs while a blush adorned her face.

He grumbled a little, but bowed "Hello, Lord Aburame. I'm Naruto Uzumaki and I thank you for welcoming me today."

He smirked lightly behind his high collar, nodding to him in acknowledgement. Naruto was obviously something of a free spirit, not prone to showing respect unless earned "You're welcome, Uzumaki-san. Before we begin today, I'd like to have a word with you about the training program and a few... ground rules."

Naruto straightened, while Fu gave him a puzzled look.

"As you know, Fu will be preparing you on how to handle your tailed beast's power, along with some other exercises that would benefit you in the long run, such as chakra control. Many of the circumstances surrounding this situation _must_ be kept confidential. Do you understand?" he said firmly.

The blond's eyes gained a gleam of excitement "Confidential? As in, keep it secret?" When Shibi nodded, he grinned "No problem. I can do that."

"Unfortunately, I cannot depend on your word alone, Uzumaki-san, which is why I'm taking precautions," the clan head added.

Naruto scowled cutely, outraged at the man's insinuations "I'm not a liar!"

"I'm not questioning your sincerity. I know you'd do your best, but you can't guarantee that you'll manage to keep quiet about this. Besides, I believe you'll count this as a stroke of luck, as the precautions come in the form of additional training."

Shibi sighed when Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion. Thankfully, his intelligent daughter came forward and whispered into the boy's ear, eventually causing him to perk up in obvious enthusiasm.

He spoke again after she stepped back "You will be taught by myself or another clan member on how to control your emotions and impulses."He raised his hand to halt any questions "We won't teach you to suppress or ignore your feelings, but how not to allow them to affect your judgement, how not to give in to sudden urges and to access a situation, even an individual, without personal opinions and emotions marring your analysis."

Emiko had to step in to explain it to him again, this time resulting with his lips falling into a frown. On one hand, he didn't want to lose Emiko, but on the other, to an unrestrained sentiment-driven child like him, what her father was proposing seemed almost... unnatural. It caused conflicting emotions to well within him.

Shibi knelt down to put a hand on his shoulder, making him snap his gaze at him "Naruto, I want you to do this for Emiko. Nothing can be done about your predicament, but if the people were to find out she is a jinchuriki and an Internal Hive Queen, even I wouldn't be able to protect from her all the mistreatment they may administer on her. So I ask you, will you accept?"

Naruto gaped at him for a little while before looking down at his feet in thought. Even though he seemed torn, in reality the decision was simple. He knew he was a bit of a predictable chatterbox, which was born from a desperation to make friends. Directing his gaze to Emiko, his best friend, the one who had protected him from three adults three times her size, he knew he would curb it for her without a second thought.

Well, without a third thought in this case, but the conclusion was still the same.

He stared decidedly up at Shibi and the Aburame clan head had his answer.


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: Shibi Aburame was sent on a mission to the Magical World on the orders of his Hokage. For only certain Shinobi are allowed to venture that far from the Elemental Countries. What happens on one chilly October night he comes across the one and only three year old battered and abused Harriet Lily Potter before he makes a decision that would rock the entire nations of the Magical world and Elemental Countries.

Sorry to say this but Shibi has no wife. His wife had died when Shino was a baby. And if others do not like this than I am sorry for that. But he wont be alone for long trust me on that one.

Chapter Four

"Will it hurt?" Emiko asked with a slight tremor in her tone as she stared up at her teacher. She watched as several emotions flashed within her eyes, like anxiousness and just the slightest bit of pity. That did not bode well.

"I won't lie to you, Emiko. It's going to hurt like hell and you will be out of commission for at least a week. But I know you from the inside out and I know for a fact that you can do this," Fu said reassuringly. She pursed her lips "Just trust that he'll take care of you as long as you take care of him," Fu spoke with a softened tone, seeing fear flicker across her striking eyes before determination set in.

"I will, don't worry Fu. No one will ever harm him or use him for evil." Nodded Emiko as she stood straighter outside of the ritual chamber. She forced herself to not fidget in her plain white robes, while her mentor and friend stood beside her in robes of her own. Its purpose served as a reminder of what was about to happen and the consequences that would follow. Fear and grief hit her like a physical blow, knowing this would be the last she ever saw Fu. The transference of the chakra monster from Fu to her would kill the former. Tears sprung up in her eyes and rolled down her face and she miserably failed to suppress a sob.

Fu sighed in resignation as she placed a gentle hand on her head, unsurprised when the five year-old latched on to her. She was sad to die, yes, but she knew her task would become complete. She had little doubt Chomei would make it with Emiko as his host.

" **While I find your human rituals silly and gelastic, I suppose parting is never easy** **. It is a must unfortunately. I will give her my power, _but_ she must prove that she is worthy of me and the title of the Internal Hive Queen. "**

Her lips twitched upwards as her old friend spoke, causing her to lean back against the wall with a fond look upon her face. Her body relaxed as she leaned there, _"I know, Chomei. I think she'll surprise you and everybody else. I only wish I could stick around and see her become the great and powerful woman she is going to become. But she'll never be alone."_

She heard the biju scoff " **You know I'm not idealistic enough to believe in that sentimental mumbo jumbo that as long as one is in your memory, they never leave you** **."**

 _"Always the cynic. Besides, I was talking about you."_

 **"Better a little cynicism than blind faith. And don't put me in the same category as you paltry creatures."** Fu wondered if he was going to continue when he paused for a few seconds. **"However, the results of your training, the foundation that've you set, will remain behind. She'll still have to prove herself."**

" _You're going to be a pain in the ass for her. Protect her at least for your own sake. I know of that bastard wanting her and once he finds out about her status, he will try to take her from her family. I guarantee Danzo will not be as nice as the Aburame,"_ Fu offered as she had sensed him hovering in the background. The Takigakure native was just glad they had all kept a tight lip on what was going on.

"We are ready for you both." A clan member came walking out of the room just as Sarutobi and Shibi joined them.

Emiko took in a deep breath and offered a shaky smile to her father. He placed a hand on her back, gently encouraging the girl into the room with Fu right behind her. Shibi watched as the door closed, resisting the urge to twitch, wanting nothing more than to hide his daughter away from the world. But he was a shinobi and shinobi accepted necessary evils as such.

He glanced over at Shino and Naruto peering around the corner. One openly showed his concern and the other hid it with admirable willpower. Though the sudden scream of agony from Emiko, the most terrible sound he ever heard in his belligerent life, had him actually flinching and both boys paling a sickly white color.

Sarutobi was the only one who didn't react. He simply pulled his hat down over his eyes. He never wanted this, but this would protect them all in the long run; add protection and military power to the village; give added protection to Naruto and vice versa, along with someone for him to relate too; protect Emiko from those that would use her for their personal gain with less than honorable attentions.

Takigakure was never a truly powerful village when compared to the hidden villages of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, and every single one of them knew of the Seven-tail's presence in it. How long before one of them decided to take advantage of this and attack it in hopes of stealing their jinchuriki? He certainly expected it from either Onoki or A. Granted, Takigakure was the only village that could boast for being truly a 'hidden' village, since it was nigh-impossible to locate.

But in the ninja world, nothing was ever certain.

"Emi-chan is screaming," muttered Naruto with a chalk-white expression, deeply concerned for his best friend. He flinched violently when she screamed even more agonizingly than before. Gritting his teeth, he fought the urge to lash out and protect her, but Shino and his... prisoner... managed to keep him from doing so. Shino because he had a tight grip on his arm to prevent him from moving and Kurama with telling him it was completely normal.

 **"Quit your snivelling, brat. She'll be fine. Sore for a while, but not dead. You went through the same, though your underdeveloped coils better accepted the transfusion, which was the only reason the pain didn't kill you,"** Kurama spoke as he laid within his cage, his tails wrapped his body. He honestly didn't care much for the other runt in the room, but he supposed she would be a better and kinder host than most, so she had at least that going for her.

The screams subsided after a short while, and about fifteen minutes after the operation had begun, a member of the Sealing Corps. came out of the room carrying Emiko gently in his arms. The man handed the passed out princess to her father. Shibi moved down the hall, carrying his daughter to her bedroom so she could rest and regain her strength. He heard two pairs of feet following right after him, one running and the other walking at an increased pace. He knew both boys would not allow Emiko from their sight for as long as she was out of commission.

Upon walking into her room, he was briefly amused as a blond blur passed him and pulled back her sheets and his son walked to the bathroom to retrieve a cool cloth to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Sarutobi watched as the family left before he locked his eyes onto the still form of Fu as she was being brought out on a stretcher, a sheet covering her from head to toe. "As much as I would like to see her buried, she must be cremated for Emiko's protection. See to it that it's done," he ordered sharply. He inhaled once with the pipe in his mouth and walked outside.

 **A Week Later**

Emiko decided she was going to kill someone, preferably her brother or even Naruto. If either one hovered over her one more time she was going to snuff the light out of them. She understood they were worried as hell for her, but it wasn't like she was dying. And so what if she had broke down crying for Fu. The woman had been her Sensei; she had every single right to burst into tears and cry and wail like a baby.

"Emiko?" Shibi said calmly as he walked into her room and his lips twitched at her brief annoyed look. Her brother and best friend had been her den mothers more or less for the last several days. The clan head knew she was itching to leave the monotonic room she was quartered in.

"Papa, when can I get out of bed?" she asked softly with a small pout as he came to sit beside her on the edge of her bed.

"Soon. The medic and Lord Hokage wish to make sure you are completely healed and the seal is completely stable before allowing you out of bed. He has called in a Seal Master by the name of Jiraiya. He has offered to take a look at your seal to make sure nothing has gone wrong with it," Shibi spoke gently as she huffed impatiently, but felt pride when she obeyed him and didn't question him further. Moving, he reached into his jacket and withdrew a small black box before handing it over to her.

"Uh?" Emiko glanced to him before looking down to the box, a confused frown on her face. Papa had stated one should only get presents when it comes to the Rinne Festival and their birthday. As Aburame, one did not need useless things. Upon opening it carefully, she gasped as nestled there on a bed of cotton was a pure emerald and gold beetle with onyx eyes. She could feel her father's chakra surrounding it, meaning he had made it extremely durable. "Daddy?" she asked softly as she looked at him curiously.

"I know you were close to her. Lord Hokage could not permit her to be buried among our own, but he did give me some of her ashes. This was made from them. This way you, and anybody else aware of what happened, will always remember the sacrifice she made for you and this village," Shibi answered gently and had to catch his daughter when she launched herself forward and hugged him tightly.

"Thank you, Papa!" Smiled Emiko as she held onto her father as tight as she could, not willing to let him go just yet. She was glad when he returned her hug as she knew her father did not really like showing or expressing emotions, not to mention he was teaching her the same thing. Nevertheless, he always found a way to show her and Shino that he did indeed love them dearly.

 **A Month Later**

"You caught him spying on the women in the bathhouse?" Emiko asked innocently while she glanced from Naruto to the tall, white-haired man, curious as to why he would do that.

Jiraiya was grateful that the girl was too young to be aware of the glorious ways of the pervert. Her eyes, even as calm and kinda cute as they were now, unnerved him somehow. Imagine if she tried glaring with those green shards of ice. He nearly shuddered as he stood there beside his Sensei, the lord of the Aburame Clan and his two heirs, plus his godson. He twitched and shifted his eyes to lock them with Shibi's behind his sunglasses, and had a really good impression that the Aburame clan head was glaring daggers at him, though his expression or stance gave nothing away.

"You betcha, Emi-Chan. He called himself a super pervert too. Lord Aburame, what is exactly a super pervert?" Naruto said, looking to his best friend's father with a questioning look. Emiko really wanted to know that too. Maybe it was a good thing if one could add 'super' before it.

"Nothing you need to worry yourself over. Lord Jiraiya will not speak of such things ever again in your presence, nor will he do anything uncouth again, such as spying on the women in the bathhouse while he is around you three," Shibi spoke with a slight edge to his tone as he stared unblinking at the sennin. The thought of the lecher, no matter how famous a ninja he was, corrupting his daughter with his thinking, his books, or any of his perverted ways truly brought out the sadistic side of him.

"Hai, Lord Aburame," muttered Jiraiya as he saw he was getting no help from his Sensei, one of the biggest closet perverts in Konoha. The hypocrite. The old man even had the shameless gal to push his hat down to cover his face, no doubt hiding an amused smile. "Let's check their seals before we do anything else," he said, getting down to business. Emiko narrowed suddenly her eyes at him.

"Hurt Naruto and that will be the last thing you ever do," the princess hissed over-protectively, but yelped when she was cuffed upside the head.

"Manners. Lord Jiraiya is one of the Sannin and a loyal Hidden Leaf shinobi. He would never harm any of you, especially Naruto," Shibi spoke with a calm tone as he reprimanded her and watched as she flushed with a wince before bowing her head in a apology.

Shino watched as the white haired checked over his sister, checking over Naruto immediately afterwards. He had become worried that the seal had been ineffective, or applied erroneously, or many of the other things that could've gone wrong. He cared a lot for his twin and never wanted her to become hurt by anything. It's one of the reasons why he had come to like Naruto as well, since his male peer made his twin happy. He could rightfully say he was at least slightly over-protective of them both.

The Aburame didn't believe in vows or making promises. Circumstances changed constantly and anything could prevent them from being fulfilled, from accidents, to active attempts from others, to being faced with a situation where one would have to do something that took precedence over keeping one's word. But he vowed, for the first and perhaps the only time he ever would, that he was going to do his best to look out for them both.

It went against some of his fundamental beliefs, but this one time, he thought it worth the breach in cognitive norm.

After all, what was life without a little whimsy?

 **Authors note:**

 **I am starting class for my college. So updates are going to be slow. Sorry guys. But I hoped you guys enjoyed this chapter.**


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: Shibi Aburame was sent on a mission to the Magical World on the orders of his Hokage. For only certain Shinobi are allowed to venture that far from the Elemental Countries. What happens on one chilly October night he comes across the one and only three year old battered and abused Harriet Lily Potter before he makes a decision that would rock the entire nations of the Magical world and Elemental Countries.

Sorry to say this but Shibi has no wife. His wife had died when Shino was a baby; and if others do not like this than I am sorry for that. But he won't be alone for long trust me on that one.

Chapter Five

Shino waited patiently in the courtyard of the Academy with his hands in his coat-pockets, Naruto standing besides him, rather successfully mimicking his 'bored but attentive' pose. Still, he could sense a bit of impatience radiating from the blond. For all his training in emotional composure with the Aburame, he believed Naruto would always have an ants-in-pants problem when made to wait for longer periods of time.

"Hey Shino, when do you think Emiko's gonna come out?" his friend spoke up, finally giving in to his urges.

The silent male adjusted his sunglasses, "When she'd done with her genin exam, and no sooner. Asking pointless questions will not make time go any faster."

Naruto scoffed at the smartass remark, "Is that your roundabout way of saying I'm an idiot?" When Shino didn't deign to answer him, he sighed. For some reason, he always felt that the taller boy got the last laugh in all of their arguments. "I'm still a little miffed your dad forbid us from taking this year's genin exam. We're both good enough to pass."

"Be that as it may, it's prudent to learn as much as we can before graduating, and father didn't forbid us from participating; he merely advised us against it. Besides, as you are your own guardian, he couldn't stop you from taking the exam. It's just that your time with my clan taught you the restraint from making the mistake you would've otherwise made," Shino said in his monotone voice. He secretly took guilty pleasure in his friend's annoyed expression.

"One of these days, your sister's gonna bitch-slap you, and I'll be the one with the last laugh," the jinchuriki grumbled.

Just as the Aburame heir was about to offer another smart rebuke, the doors of the Academy opened, letting out a cacophony of jubilant, childish yells as the graduates poured out of the building like bees from a hive. He sincerely wondered how any of them would make it, exhibiting such unbecoming behavior for shinobi. However, within the confines of the village and in the presence of family, their reactions weren't entirely unjustified.

The parents greeted their offspring with the same overjoyed manner, hugging them and offering congratulations. From the corner of his eye, he saw the slight tint of longing in Naruto's eyes, though years of practicing his poker face managed to cover most of it. Shino knew that he and his clan were like family to the blond, but it wasn't the same, even he knew that. He wondered if Naruto sometimes cursed the fact that the Aburame were so stoic in every aspect of their lives, not even showing affection with the same exuberance most parents did.

It was ironic, Shino mused. Naruto would always be special, always be different, but just as many ordinary persons strived to be special, many of the special ones, like Naruto, sought for normalcy.

Even if it might've comforted him, the brunet never tried to convince the jinchuriki that being special was right, nor that being normal was right either. He only ever told him that, in his opinion, there was no right or wrong when it came to such matters... only different perspectives. How Naruto viewed his condition was entirely up to his own subjective interpretation of himself.

He turned his head slightly to the left when he sensed a familiar chakra signature. Coming out of the excitable throng of people was his sister, much more composed in comparison to the other graduates, like a true ninja and Aburame. Unlike the others of their clan, however, her outfit was somewhat more... revealing, for Aburame standards that is.

She was currently wearing a high-collared, beige coat that was open on the front, a bit more form-fitting than the coats their clan-members wore and only reached her hips, unlike his own that nearly reached his knees. Underneath that, she wore a grey t-shirt and dark green pants that were taped at the ankles. Most notably, she wore no sunglasses, so her emerald-green eyes were in full view, in perfect contrast to her collarbone length, raven hair.

The newest addition to her outfit, the Hidden Leaf headband, stood proudly on her forehead.

"Brother. Naruto," Emiko greeted each of them in turn.

"I see congratulations are in order," Shino commented, proud despite the results being obvious from the start.

"Not that there was any doubt," the blonde said with a small grin, confirming his thought, as he gave his sister a light hug. She returned the gesture with an indulging smile.

"Where's dad?" she asked after taking a step back. She'd expected him to be here.

"Unfortunately, he is unable to attend, due to a summons by the Hokage," her brother answered. She nodded in understanding.

"So, how was the test?" Naruto asked, eager to know her opinion.

"It was easy enough. I don't really see why everyone was so nervous about it. Although, on the other hand, it is worrisome that graduation standards for genin are so low," Emiko answered, truly feeling a tinge of worry. She wondered if more genin died on missions than the Academy let on. Perhaps the Hokage deliberately commanded the instructors to withhold such information, deeming it too sensitive for the public's ears. Ninjas were all about cloak and dagger, and the Kage were at the top of the food chain; it honestly wouldn't surprise her.

"I'm certain Hokage-sama has a system in place that keeps the genin death rate at a minimum. It would be unwise to waste potential in numbers," Shino argued.

"Yeah. Besides, to you, little Miss Genius, every test is either easy or mediocre. Heck, I haven't seen you struggle with your studies in years, even while helping me with my own," her blond friend commented with a cheeky smirk. "Oh, while we're on the subject, when are team placements gonna be?"

"Four days from today, on Friday. We can discuss this back at the compound, as I'm feeling rather hungry."

* * *

Naruto jumped, hopped and skipped across the rooftops of Konoha, making his way to the Academy. After finishing his latest work of art, he had to make sure to hide the evidence of his involvement. Though he'd like to take credit for his greatest success to date, there was a certain challenge in being able to get away scot-free after managing to do such a project.

He was a ninja, after all, not a circus clown.

With a final somersault, he flew in through the window and landed in a graceful crouch, skidding across the floor before stopping right in front of the entrance. The occupants of the classroom all turned to look at him with varied expressions. Some were surprised, some were annoyed and others were plain neutral. His own cerulean eyes honed in on Shino, the most neutral of them all. Naruto knew better, though. He was perhaps the most irked among them. He sent a smirk the Aburame's way.

Shino barely kept his eyes from twitching. Indeed, he was rather annoyed by the current situation. Why? Because he, his sister _and_ his father had known what the blond was going to do today, and had elected to let him do it.

Somehow, someway, the smirking knucklehead had convinced the three of them to allow him to go through with this, using an argument based on logical reasoning of all things. He had anticipated their typical Aburame mentality, and _used it against them_. He didn't know whether to feel proud for playing a part in helping him develop these subtle, shinobi-like traits, or feel contrite for being outmaneuvered in such a manner. He felt like the master that was surpassed by the student.

And it was embarrassing.

"Judging by your... gratified expression, I surmise you've been successful in your endeavor," the taller boy addressed his friend when he sat by him at the back of the classroom.

Another smirk, a slightly smaller one this time, was his answer, "You bet. They'll probably come to take me to the old man soon enough, even though nobody can prove it was me. I made sure of that, and I have no intention to confess. The best part is I get to skip class today with a plausible excuse. Kill two birds with one stone and all that. Man, this prank just earned me a lot of points in my books!"

"Troublesome baka," Shikamaru muttered with a groan, who was sitting in the row right beneath them. While a small and devious part of him was looking forward to whatever disturbance the blond menace had caused to shake off the daily monotony, even impressed by Naruto's foresight, most of his being that was focused on getting his daily dose of rest tried will his irksome voice out of his mind and ignore all that was occurring around him.

Sasuke, sitting on the lazy boy's left by the window, let out a small grunt. There he went again with his ridiculous antics, the Uchiha survivor really couldn't understand the kick that the dobe got out of it. He did well enough in the Academy. In fact, he excelled in the practical courses, though he was only a bit above mediocre in the classroom.

More importantly, he was much more tolerable when Emiko was around. Sadly, she was graduating early, which rubbed Sasuke the wrong way for multiple reasons.

One, he reluctantly admitted that she surpassed even him in skill and academic performance. It wasn't all bad, as he had someone he could test his mettle against and improve accordingly.

Two, she was kinda-sorta a friend. Like him, she appreciated silences, and only spoke if there was something meaningful to say. The Aburame princess, as many had taken to calling her, didn't waste time and effort on pointless chit-chat. All their challenges in the practice yard were friendly, meant to motivate one another, and there were never any hard feelings between them, regardless of who won.

Finally, and this one took the cake, she was an effective repellent against - he shuddered internally - fangirls, what with her insects and rather unnervingly calm demeanor. She would always hold a small but special place in his heart for that. Most notably, however, was the effect she had on Ino and Sakura. One day when Emiko hadn't been next to him, after another disgusting attempt at flirting from them both and the subsequent argument that arose between the two girls, she had appeared and led them to the other end of the classroom.

He wasn't privy to their conversation, but ever since then, both Sakura and Ino had stopped arguing almost completely. Even weirder, they both started putting more effort into their training, seemingly no longer focused on getting his attention. He would've believed it if they still didn't send the occasional glances his way, usually after a practical performance in the Academy's yard, as if seeking approval.

It hadn't taken long for him to figure out that Emiko had convinced them to stop flirting and step up their training by arguing that he valued strength over anything - which was true - and was more likely to notice them if they were stronger as ninja.

A half-truth, really. He wouldn't pay any more attention to them than before, but he would definitely respect them more. Until Itachi was six feet under and he could begin restoring his clan, romance held no place in his life. Nonetheless, he appreciated Emiko's efforts, despite the fact he believed that the true aim was to boost the two girls' chances of survival out there in the real world. In her own way, she was looking out for their well-being.

Not that he would _ever_ admit it, but he would miss her.

Right then, Iruka entered the classroom, doing the usual roll-call and beginning the lecture.

* * *

 **20** **M** **inutes Later**

Everyone looked up as the door was thrown open and a couple of Anbu entered the room. Both immediately zeroed in on Naruto, who had a mock expression of innocence and confusion. Inside, though, he was grinning like a loon. The second phase of his master plan was about to start. He kept the expression as the two of the Hokage's agents approached him.

"Naruto Uzumaki, you've been summoned by the Hokage. Compliance is mandatory," the taller of the two said in a monotonous, but firm tone.

"What for, Anbu-san?" he asked, adding a childish lilt to his voice.

"You will... be _made aware_ ," the clear sarcasm almost made the blond drop the act, "when we arrive. Come along."

Naruto seemed to contemplate this before shrugging, "Well, who am _I_ to ignore a summons by the Hokage? I will gladly follow you."

He had to ignore the impulse to turn to his classmates, make a victory sign and yell 'See ya later, suckas!'. He was feeling pretty proud of himself already; there was no need to push it. Besides, he could rub it in their faces later.

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor drew the attention of all the occupants in the room. Shino, in all his unnaturally-tall-for-his-age glory, stood up and turned to the three leaving the classroom. For some reason, Naruto just got a bad feeling.

"Anbu-san, I can state with full confidence that Naruto Uzumaki was the one to deface the Hokage Monument."

The young prankster's mouth was gaping wide enough for a soccer ball to fit through it. The Aburame did not expect any less, as it was foolish for the Uzumaki to think he could outwit him in a game of logic. The sound of Iruka-sensei face-palming was icing on the cake, ignoring the various murmurs that went up at the revelation of Naruto's prank, mostly of exasperation or amusement.

"Awesome!" laughed one Kiba Inuzuka.

When his friend finally managed to regain a semblance of composure, he glared at him with a twitching eye, "W-W-We had an agreement, you bastard! How could you double-cross me?"

"I did no such thing. How, you ask? Because our agreement was that I would not intervene on your prank, nor would I inform anyone of it before it was done. However, there was no mention of me not being allowed to do it afterwards," he answered while nonchalantly adjusting his sunglasses. "You must understand, as your friend, I am only doing this with your best interest in mind. I simply cannot condone such behavior, nor should you."

The rage visibly skyrocketed on Naruto's face at the semi-mocking, semi-honest declaration, but the Anbu took him away before he could act on it. That had been entertaining, he thought as he sat back down. Either way, this incident cemented one fact in his mind.

In the end, Shino Aburame always had the last laugh.

* * *

"You're certain it was him?"

"Not entirely, but one of his classmates confirmed it. An Aburame boy, I believe."

The Sandaime Hokage adopted an amused smile as he turned to Naruto. If Shino Aburame himself had affirmed it, there was little doubt of the truth behind his words. The boy wasn't one to make a conclusion unless he was aware of all the facts. "If Shino was in on this, I imagine his sister was as well. Although, that begs the question of how you convinced them to go along with your idea."

Though still rather disgruntled by his friend's 'betrayal', whatever else the insect-wielding boy wanted to call it, Naruto managed a smirk in the old man's general direction, "Easy. I just told them that it was highly unlikely that I'd succeed. After all, not only is this a ninja village, this is a hidden village of one of the Five Great Shinobi Nations, the greatest of them all some would say. I mean, what were the chances for an academy student like me to paint the Hokage faces in broad daylight in Konoha of all places?"

The two Anbu beside the jinchuriki stiffened, and Hiruzen understood exactly why. Naruto had just sent a not-so-subtle jab at the quality of the village's security and, by extension, the ninja too. Their reactions were understandable... because he was right. What were the chances of him succeeding to do such an elaborate prank? Some could argue that the boy had the advantage of knowing the lay of the land, since he had lived here his entire life. However, the same could be said about the resident chunin, jonin, Anbu and the _Hokage himself_.

Had Konoha really grown so lax in peacetime? Not to say he wasn't grateful for the lack of conflict, but this was really worrisome. He wanted his shinobi to appreciate the peace; he didn't want them to be _spoiled_ by it. Like Naruto had mentioned, Konoha was considered by many to be the greatest of the shinobi villages, and shinobi were fighters. Even a pacifist such as himself took pride in the combat skill of his subordinates.

Or maybe Naruto was just bragging. It wouldn't surprise Hiruzen, but he learned not to underestimate Naruto's skill in observation and deduction. For all of his flair, which had thankfully been reduced by the time he spent with the Aburame clan, the Uzumaki was much more subtle and... ninja-like than many gave him credit for. He noticed things that others didn't and was shrewd enough to make plans which exploited them.

For all intents and purposes, Naruto was ready to be a genin, because those traits were more important in a genin, or in any shinobi, than flashy jutsu. Loud noises and bright lights got you noticed, and unless one knew how to conceal themselves afterwards, that got you killed.

He gave the boy a scrutinizing look, "You bring up a good point. Nonetheless, I don't remember you ever being qualified to test our village's security protocols. As such, I only see it fit to punish you making you clean up your own mess."

"Oi! It's not a mess! It's a work of art _and_ a statement!"

"Oh? And what is it that you wanted the whole village to know?"

Naruto smirked again, "That I'm gonna be greater than all of them, including you."

He had said it calmly, but with a bold confidence that made it resonate through the room like a gong. The Sandaime Hokage almost smirked himself, but he didn't forget that the boy was here to be scolded. He admired the blond's passion, he truly did, but there were limits.

"That's all good and well, but shouting for the whole world to hear and disrespecting the legacy of our predecessors brings you no closer to your goal, nor is anyone going to respect you more for it. To others, it only proves you're an attention-seeking brat with no sense of self-restraint." He hated the look of sorrow and contrition on Naruto's face, but he needed to learn. "Your scores in the Academy are impressive already. If you put as much creativity in your training as you do in your 'hobby', you could be even better. Understand?"

Naruto nodded, feeling much more down than he though he would. When the old man put it in such a perspective, he could fully agree with his point of view. He really should stop lashing out. Though he had toned it down considerably since his early days of pranking, a part of him still wanted to just sit back and flip the bird to all those who put him down, but also make them believe that he could accomplish his ambitions.

He felt terrible for it, like he was spitting in the face of his bond with Emiko and Shino, his two best friends. Heck, their whole clan.

The Hokage gazed at him observantly before nodding once, "You're dismissed. Oh and, Naruto," he added just as jinchuriki reached the door. He gave him a gentle smile, "I'll tell the instructors at the Academy to take your performance today into serious consideration when grading you on stealth and subterfuge."

The beaming smile he received in return was worth it.

* * *

Emiko sat in the classroom, patiently waiting for whichever instructor to arrive and announce the teams. However, she wasn't just sitting idly as the other graduates droned on about this and that; she was surreptitiously observing said graduates. Among them, only three truly stood out in her mind.

Neji Hyuga, the prodigy of Konoha's most prestigious clan and the top male student. A taijutsu extraordinaire with a good head on his shoulders, though his stoically unapproachable sense of composure - not unlike Sasuke's - and picky attitude when it came to acknowledging others could make him a liability in group efforts. At least, that's the conclusion she had arrived at so far. She was still reserving judgement.

Tenten, an expert marksman, as well as proficient in the usage of all things pointy, blunt and everything in between. She appeared friendly enough, but was always focused and astute when given a task, a realist to the core. In terms of pure mindset, she was probably the most ready for the ninja life of all the graduates and the one the Aburame princess respected the most.

And the final, well, he didn't really _stand out_ per se, if overall skill and talent were to be taken into account. Rock Lee, the class dork with no aptitude whatsoever in ninjutsu and genjutsu and, if the rumors were true, his talent for taijutsu was subpar at best, minimal at worst. Still, what he had going for him, more than anyone, was his sheer work ethic. It almost made up for everything he lacked.

The boy worked harder than any ant. So hard, in fact, he passed the graduation exam purely on his taijutsu skill, weapon handling and academic performance. His hand-to-hand combat prowess was second only to that of Neji himself.

Her opinion on the issue of him being allowed to graduate with only those qualities to back him up was mixed. On one hand, if the enemy ever found out about his nonexistent skill in ninjutsu and genjutsu, they could easily exploit such a weakness. Furthermore, it could put his teammates in danger by extension. After all, when it came to comrades, Konoha shinobi weren't all that eager to 'cut their losses'.

On the other hand, ninja were nothing if not crafty and adaptable. Though overspecialization wasn't encouraged, ninja who fought almost exclusively with only one area of shinobi combat weren't unusual. It was all about raising one's skill in that field to an extremely high level, wisely using it in battle and covering up your flaws. Plus, shinobi with his level of dedication and diligence were hard to come by. Of course, determination alone wasn't enough to be deemed fit for duty - too much of it was often seen as a hindrance even, since such people were more easily swayed by emotions - but it wasn't something that ought to be carelessly brushed off either.

Ultimately, Emiko found Tenten to be more preferable than Neji and Lee, while finding the two males more preferable than everyone except Tenten.

She was brought out of her musings by the appearance of a chunin instructor, who congratulated them before giving them a speech on their upcoming trials and duties to their village. She mostly tuned it out, having gotten this particular lesson multiple times through the years from her father. She perked up when he began announcing the teams.

"Team 8 is still in rotation. Team 9 will consist of: Emiko Akemi Aburame, Neji Hyuga and Rock Lee."

Well, seems she got her wish, if only in part.

* * *

Emiko Akemi Aburame Stats:

Ninjutsu: 3.5

Taijutsu: 2.5

Genjutsu: 1.5

Intelligence: 3.5

Strength: 1.5

Speed: 3

Stamina: 3.5

Hand Seals: 3


	6. Chapter 6

Shibi Aburame was sent on a mission to the Magical World on the orders of his Hokage. For only certain Shinobi are allowed to venture that far from the Elemental Countries. What happens on one chilly October night he comes across the one and only three year old battered and abused Harriet Lily Potter...rest inside. I now have a Beta! Cheers for MM995!

Updates might be even slower considering I have already started school and MM995's University starts soon enough. Sorry if this disappoints a lot of you but School is highly important

Chapter Six

Emiko kept her face carefully and completely blank. She was relying on all her years of training from her father to do so. It was needed now more than ever. Her fingers, though, twitched as she had just watched the male dressed in green spandex jump through the window with god-awful cheer that was sorely reminiscent of Naruto when he ate sugar first thing in the morning.

"Good morning, my fabulous genin! I am Konoha's Sublime Green Beast of Prey, Might Gai!" he shouted, grinning widely at all three of them. He received a confused look from Lee, a deadpan glare from Neji and the Aburame's famous neutrality from Emiko.

He looked them all over with approval, knowing they all had the capacity to become deadly shinobi one day. However, building up their teamwork was as important as individual skill, and from what he knew, these three had never hung out together during their time in the Academy. With two stoic geniuses and a talentless but diligent ball of fire, he really had his work cut out for him.

"Gai-sensei, please don't yell while in the room. If necessary, then it might be better if we take this somewhere outside," the clan heiress spoke up, an undertone of annoyance audible to the taijutsu expert's trained ears. He chuckled, amused at the somewhat brusque reply, and mentally patting himself on the back for her minor breach in self-control.

She might be as cool as a cucumber, but she was nowhere near to Kakashi's level of coolness.

"No worries, I was planning on it either way. Head for the western balcony on the third floor, I'll be waiting for you there." With a final salute, the man blitzed out of the classroom with speed none of their eyes could follow. The three looked at each other before getting up.

As they walked, a rather tense silence permeated around them, none of them either willing or knowing how to diffuse it. Rock Lee rubbed his arm as he looked away from them, the awkwardness getting to him. Neither of the other two graduates seemed particularly eager to start a conversation, just staring ahead quietly.

While Neji had never given him a second glance, and the rare times their gazes did lock, the Hyuga always gave him this look that made him feel like a peasant in the presence of a king; a large shadow whose mere flick of the wrist would decide Lee's fate. Emiko, on the other hand, had always been polite and respectful. Not open or truly welcoming, mind you, but she had never treated him differently than she treated the other students. That gave him a little hope that this could all turn out well.

"My fellow teammates, what do you think of Gai-san?" Lee finally plucked up the courage to ask. After a few short moments, Neji's face contorted slightly in disgust.

"Hn. He is a-"

"Please don't do that again. You're not an Uchiha."

The white-eyed boy had almost jumped at Emiko's unexpected interruption. Though startled, to his shame, by her unusual comment, he believed he understood what the girl meant. He took a second to compose himself before resuming, "Yes, well, Gai-sensei is loud and obnoxious. I fail to understand why they hired such a man to be our superior."

"Intelligence and mindset, while not mutually exclusive, are not the same thing. His... energetic demeanor is not an indication of his intellect or his abilities as a ninja. I _am_ aware that he is Konoha's foremost expert on taijutsu, the area in which you and Lee-san happen to specialize. The way he left the classroom is clue to his skills," Emiko remarked.

The statement confused the two males. "How so, Emiko-sama?" Lee inquired confusedly.

"Emiko- _san_ is fine," she insisted gently, amused. "Fact is, most chunin-level shinobi and above, when not in fear of being discovered by enemy sensors, prefer to use a jutsu called Shunshin to cross small distances in short periods of time. I myself have mild sensing skills, but Gai-sensei's chakra didn't spike at all as he left the room; it was pure, physical speed that he employed."

Neji's look softened somewhat, though, in the Aburame's opinion, he still appeared as if he'd just bitten a sour lemon. "I suppose the Hokage wouldn't give the team with the top two of the class an inefficient instructor. Even so, I fail to understand for what purpose this team was assembled. While putting the top male and top female student with the dead-last sounds good in theory, it's pointless if the squad-mates' abilities don't match up."

In essence, why were geniuses like him and Emiko, blessed with natural skill by Fate, stuck with a talentless dud like Rock Lee. Here were two graduates with the potential and resources to go far, further than anybody else in their generation, being saddled with picking up the slack of the class dead-last. Although, the cursed one screwing up and dragging his gifted teammates down with him, robbing them of their propitious future, was merely Fate at its best _and_ worst.

For that is often the fate of both sorts of people, and he learned long ago that Fate was cruel. That didn't mean Neji had to like it. In fact, he hated it with a fierce passion. For a while, he had held on to the hope that...

It didn't matter. It was a pipe dream and nothing more, one born of arrogance.

"Yes, why indeed! That is a good question, Neji-san." He nearly yelped when Gai's exclamation seemed to come out of nowhere. So submerged in his thoughts, he'd failed to notice that they had arrived at the entrance of the balcony, where the man had been waiting for them. "But one for later. For now, why don't we all take a seat outside?"

Walking onto the balcony, the Sun's rays were blocked from reaching them due to the overhead canopy. A fact they all were grateful for, as it was a pretty hot day today. The genin sat down on the seats at the very edge, with Gai standing across them while leaning against one of the canopy's support beams.

"Let's start this off by introducing ourselves," Gai said, calmer than before. "I'll go first. As I mentioned earlier, my name is Might Gai, and I'll be your sensei from here on out. I like training and engaging in youthful contests with my eternal rival. For the time being, my main goal is to turn you three into highly capable shinobi, so that our dangerous career doesn't cut off your youth too early in the game."

Well, that was... unexpected. Talk about morbid, Emiko thought. That big smile of his seemed only to strike home the point he was trying to make, as if conveying that the expression was nothing more than a mask for the cynicism and weariness that lied underneath. She didn't know how much of that was true, but the heiress assumed that their sensei was also trying to remind them of the dangers of their profession, which usually turned out to be more like pitfalls to young, cocky and inexperienced rookies.

Rookies like her and the two males by her side.

"You, in the middle, your turn."

"My name is Emiko Akemi Aburame. I like training too, along with my family. I suppose observing and getting a read on the people around me could be considered a hobby, since most of them tend to make it so easy to do." She ignored her sensei's chuckles and the weird looks from her teammates. "My current goal is to grow as powerful a ninja as possible."

The jonin nodded, "A fine goal. A mark of youth is doing what you like doing, however idiosyncratic it may be, so long as it's harmless to others. Now, you on my left, why don't you go next?"

Neji looked away, staring at the unoccupied seat next to him. Emiko would've reprimanded him lightly for the rude gesture, had that action not been rude itself. "My name is Neji Hyuga. As for my goal... well, I'd rather not say."

Emiko never thought she'd ever meet someone more borderline emo than Sasuke, but, lo and behold, living proof was sitting right next to her. Today's generation of preteens and teenagers just seemed to be a big mess of angst and brood. Granted, her early childhood wasn't anything to brag about, so she, of all people, ought to be able to sympathize.

Nonetheless, something was fundamentally wrong with today's society if it kept spawning children with such dispositions; her new teammate, her former Uchiha classmate and the murdering traitor that was his older brother just to name a few.

Still, she couldn't help feeling that the Hyuga boy and Sasuke could learn a thing or two from Naruto. He experienced just as much pain as them, if not more so, but he didn't wallow in bad memories. Sure, he used to be much louder than now, and his desire for recognition had at times bordered on unhealthy, but there was a strong sense of productiveness in his actions.

She failed to see it in Neji's.

"Oh, my turn!" Lee's sudden shout interrupted her thought process. "My name is Rock Lee, and I want to become a splendid ninja, even if I can't use ninjutsu or genjutsu. I want to prove it to the whole world!"

He had a lot of moxie if little else, and he was an exceptionally polite person, certainly, but Emiko wasn't keen on developing the habit of picking her ears to massage away the pain due to his perpetual loudness. One was bad enough, and she went through a lot of trouble to train Naruto out of that quirk. Even then she hadn't been one hundred percent successful, though she did admit that it added a unique charm to the blonde, and Naruto was anything but boring.

Maybe Lee could add a bit of spirit where she and Neji provided the cold, blunt rationale.

Her other teammate seemed to strongly disagree, however, if his disgusted snort that he was any indication. Worse, he didn't even _try_ to hide it, making the Aburame actually feel a slight urge to slap him silly.

Lee promptly shot up from his seat, pointing a finger directly at the Hyuga, "What is so funny!? You think I'm joking? I mean it; I'll prove it to everybody!"

"Don't make me laugh," Neji retorted smugly, a superior smirk on his face. "Do you actually think you graduated thanks to your skills? That you have what it takes to be a ninja? No, Lee. They felt sorry for you, and they stuck you on the team with two of the best in the hopes of prolonging your pitiful life as much as possible. A loser stays a loser. That is Fate, and there is no force more influential on a human being's life."

His smirk then turned into an ugly scowl. "Whatever painful existence you might be living, fighting Fate will only make the pain worse. In this case, there is no dishonor in choosing the path of least resistance."

"Alright, that's quite enough!" While letting them air out their personal thoughts and talk it out among themselves had sounded like a good way to build team trust at first, Gai decided that things were getting a little out of hand. "Whatever your opinions of each other are, you're a team now. The people sitting next to you are the ones you'll be trusting to watch your back while out there in the field. As danger closes in from all directions, with no other choice but to fight for survival, how well you three function together will make the biggest difference between life and death."

Emiko had to admit, she was hooked; she couldn't help but perk up her ears, not wanting to miss anything. For all his eccentricities, the man knew how to make a convincing speech, and for all his gregariousness, he knew how to be stern.

"So show some youthful spirit and try to find a common ground. I don't expect you to agree on everything, or even on most things, but I have little tolerance for letting petty disagreements cloud your judgment and getting in the way of your coherence as a team. Am I understood?"

Basically, he was telling them "if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all".

Sort of. The idea was close enough.

When the heiress and the two males nodded, Gai sighed before plastering a smile on his face, "Good. Now that introductions are out of the way, I think we should get back to the question you've asked yourselves earlier. What kind of team are we? What'll be our main purpose? How does each of your abilities play a part in making this entity a functional unit? If any of you have thoughts on it, feel free to share 'em with us."

He watched as his students took their own pensive poses, which pretty much consisted of each of them staying in the exact same position they've held so far. It was a rudimentary but not ineffective way to glimpse in what directions each of them thought; mental discipline was very important in a shinobi, after all. There _was_ the possibility that they'd all opt to remain silent and wait for him to break it down for them, but he'd prefer to discourage such a mindset early on. Nipping things in the bud would save a lot of hassle in the future.

Still, Gai was sure that if just one spoke out and gave an answer, the other two would feel emboldened enough to follow. He'd bet his bottom ryo that the Aburame girl was going to be the first to respond. She was easily the most analytical of the three, both in capability and readiness.

He was understandably surprised when Rock Lee gave his answer first, "Are we a tracking unit? Neji-san's Byakugan and Emiko-san's kikaichu are well-suited for such a purpose, but I don't see how I could help there."

"Most likely to avoid overspecialization," Emiko reasoned. "We're not of much use if we can't adapt to fluctuating circumstances, or if engaging in combat with _any_ enemy spells death for us. Your taijutsu prowess would come in handy in such situations." It would also explain why Might Gai was placed as their sensei, as he could tutor the preteen exclusively in his hand-to-hand combat style without fear of neglecting his other two charges, both of whom had their clan training to fall back on.

Lee perked up at that, obviously glad to hear an argument in favor of his inclusion to the team.

"Yes, that would be plausible... if you and I had no combat skill to speak of, Emiko-san," Neji commented, calm and yet still sounding smug somehow. "My taijutsu prowess is the best of our year, and my Gentle Fist makes blocking or even using heavy musculature as a defense ineffective. Your kikaichu have the ability to drain the chakra of other ninjas, rendering them incapable of using their jutsu. That is, if it doesn't immobilize them first. So why add Lee specifically?"

"To ensure greater chances of success via variety, perhaps? The Hyuga's Gentle Fist is known worldwide, and there is always a risk of someone being able to counteract it." The boy seemed to want to scoff at her response, but _very_ wisely kept shut. "There is also the fact that there are many factors it relies on to work properly: having enough chakra, being able to control it and having the Byakugan being the most vital ones. If any of these were compromised, the Gentle Fist would be close to, if not completely useless. But all Lee-san needs is his stamina."

While Neji looked rather disgruntled at her argument, the other two males looked quite impressed. Logic and cold, hard reasoning had always been one of her clan's specialties. It wouldn't do for the heiress to fall short of the family's standards. If anything, she had to excel; to serve as an example to her fellow clanmates, and a true portrayal of the clan's values and abilities to those outside.

However, something the Hyuga boy said earlier picked at her brain, "You mentioned my ability to immobilize enemies by draining their chakra, Neji-san. That reminds me, you too can do the same using the Gentle Fist, and even Lee-san if he knew where exactly to land his blows. That would make us efficient for both immobilization and stalling, as well as front-line combat. Basically, we can fulfill all these roles."

And therein lied the heart of the problem; they had the ability to perform low-ranked missions of virtually any kind. In fact, the only task which their team couldn't be trusted to complete - that immediately came to mind in any case - was interrogation.

Still, that was only one among many. If the Hokage wanted, he could send them on almost any C-rank mission and expect positive results.

All options were available to her team, so for what _specific_ purpose wou-

Emiko's eyes widened briefly as realization struck her. Of course! That was it!

"We're an all-purpose unit," she said in a breathy voice. They _weren't_ meant to take on only a _specific_ sort of mission, but almost any sort that the Hokage decided to throw at them. She was chiding herself for not seeing it sooner when it was so very obvious.

"Yes! Very good, Emiko-san!" laughed Might Gai, while her teammates appeared almost startled, whether by the revelation or their sensei's sudden exclamation, she didn't know. "That is correct, this squad was formed with the youthful goal in mind to be able to face any challenge presented to them. There are times when the village's forces will be spread thin, but that won't stop new missions from coming in. Sending a team whose skillset is unsuited for a particular mission can end in worse than failure."

Death.

A possibility that all shinobi have had ingrained into their mind since their earliest days of training, even rookies such as herself and her teammates. They needed to understand the risks involved and potential consequences if they were to be able to function to the best of their abilities when things went south.

Because things could _always_ go south, as Emiko's father had told her many times.

"I won't lie to you. Genin teams are sometimes sent on missions that may be a rank above their skill level, but declining missions is a worse option for the village so it has to be done. In such times, we try to keep the rare all-purpose units from being deployed as long as possible, so long as the available missions have requirements that other genin squads have the proper abilities to fulfill. If that weren't the case, then an all-purpose unit would be sent out in order to keep both failures and casualties to a minimum. That is the purpose of a team like ours."

He let them stew on his words, they needed that much at least. As expected, Lee seemed the most shaken, not having a shinobi family to explain the dangers of their profession in more clarifying details; he only had the Academy training to help him understand. The other two appeared as cold and composed as usual, seemingly aware of the risks.

Heh, if only they knew. Experience was the best teacher but a harsh one too. Gai hoped that the day they learned this lesson, the consequences wouldn't be too grave for these children.

He gave them a reassuring smile, "But we're not in such times at the moment, nor are we expecting them anytime soon. Our forces are stable and the village has recuperated well from the Nine-tails' attack and the previous war. However, it's still given you a rare privilege. You see, Konoha has a maximum of thirty-five genin teams in circulation, and we had thirty-one when your class graduated. As you well know, there were twenty-four graduates this year, which equals eight new teams."

"What does that mean? Why such a limited number, Gai-sensei?" Rock Lee asked, his eyes fearful as he realized the problem.

"Calculations through the years have surmised that it's the number that has the best ratio of genin getting a steady supply of missions and off time to train and rest. In most cases, every year we have more graduates than our forces can accept, so each newly-formed squad is given an additional task by their sensei to complete in order to determine the ones who will pass, and the ones who'll be weeded out," he explained patiently.

"What does that mean for us?" Neji asked, his eyes narrowed.

The man smirked at them, "As I said, you three get a rare privilege. Due to the importance of your team, you won't get this bonus task but pass immediately instead." Just as Lee seemed ready to jump for joy, he continued speaking, "This doesn't mean you get off scot-free. Greater things will be expected of you than of the other genin teams. There will be more pressure from your superiors, harder missions will be thrown at you sooner, and growth will be expected at a rate the others can't hope to match. The most important question is... do you think you have the guts to face this hurdle head-on?"

The three seemed to freeze in their spots for a moment before glancing at each other, as if seeking reassurance or permission. Not long after, they turned to him with determined, no-nonsense expressions that made him grin like a loon.

"Yes, sir!"

* * *

 **Evening**

"Hey, Emiko-chan?"

She looked up from her book as Naruto entered through the gardens and walked over to her. She closed it as he sat down beside her.

"How'd the meeting with your team go?" he asked, grinning, though something flashed in his eyes that caused her to frown.

"It could've been worse. We've managed to establish an understanding at least, if a rather shaky one. Although, Neji Hyuga's attitude towards Lee is worrying, and I don't know how willing he is to cooperate with him," the heiress patiently said. Thankfully, her team probably wouldn't be sent outside of Konoha's borders anytime soon. Plenty of time to get the teamwork ball rolling.

But people could be infuriatingly stubborn more often than not, and her Hyuga teammate seemed as tough a nut as any.

The boy cringed lightly, "Sounds rough."

"Agreed."

"What about your sensei?"

"Our sensei, Might Gai, is a capable and experienced jonin, but he is..." she trailed off for a moment, trying to find a good word to describe her sensei's _unique_ disposition, "weird." She grimaced a bit at the utter lack of originality.

Naruto's eyebrow rose, "How weird?"

"Weirder than you."

"Oh, ouch. Gonna need a Mystic Palm for that one. I swear to God, you're worse than Shino at times." He pouted while she graced him with a teasing smile, though his expression quickly changed back to the one of thinly-veiled anxiety. He piped up again just as she was about to ask him, "So... the two taijutsu nuts are your teammates, huh? That's great! They'll surely keep your skinny ass in shape while running circles aro-"

"Naruto." Her sharp declaration succeeded in shutting up, making him look at her like a kid that had just been admonished, as he ought to. That 'skinny ass' comment of his had earned him a nice, big, figurative spanking, but those were thoughts for after she had dealt with whatever was bothering the jinchuriki. "What did I tell you about beating around the bush?"

He squeezed his eyes shut while groaning in exasperation. " _Definitely_ worse than Shino," he murmured before sighing resignedly. "You told me not to do that because it makes me sound like a troublemaker and it's really, _really_ annoying," her best friend deadpanned. Kind of a moot point in his opinion, since he technically _was_ a troublemaker, and the victims of his troublemaking ways usually found him really, _really_ annoying.

"Correct, so talk. What's actually bothering you?"

Naruto hesitated for a moment before the anxiety took over full force, "It's just, ya know, with the team a-and the missions, you'll be pretty busy, and I... are we still gonna be best friends?"

Emiko cocked her head, confused but understanding at the same time, "What gave you idea to the contrary?"

"Well, you just graduated, and you're gonna be spending a lot of time with your team... bonding, making new friends. I'm scared that you'll have to spend way more time with them than with me, and, ya know, that..." the boy trailed off, unable to get past the lump in his throat.

The bug-wielder sighed, sad that her best friend still struggled with such issues. Maybe they should've curbed his pranking impulse earlier on, having known it was merely a front for his desire for attention, but as they said, hindsight was 20/20. "That my team will take me away from you?" The somewhat mocking tone made him wince. "Banish those thoughts, Naruto; we're still going to be best friends. Although, I must admit to feeling a little offended for thinking so low of me and our friendship."

The consternation came back twice as strong. "W-What?! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-I just-"

His stuttering came to an end when she dropped her hand onto his shoulder, hard enough to jolt him but not to hurt. "Easy there, Naruto." She chuckled, feeling a bit bad for worrying him. "Seriously though, I _am_ a bit offended on Shino's part. True, I won't be around as much, but you will have Shino to keep you company, and I imagine he'd be rather hurt at hearing you distress so much over my new schedule. My absence doesn't mean you'll be all alone in this world, Naruto."

He looked down, ashamed of himself for reacting so strongly and neglecting his bond with her brother. Shino probably would've been hurt and would've given a long-winding explanation on _exactly_ _why_ it hurt him. Great guy, he was, but nit-picky as hell too.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

"Of course I am," she said bluntly. "And besides, you need to branch out a little, find other friends. We both might believe in quality over quantity, but you need to have more people you can trust. Our job is dangerous, and you won't get to choose who you'll be teamed up with. Shikamaru and Choji, for example, are as good a start as any."

"I get it, I get it, smarty-pants. I don't need a textbook analysis, okay?" Naruto grumbled peevishly. "Geez, you and that brother of yours just love to rub my nose in your _superior_ intellect."

"No, we love to rub your nose in _your_ inferior one. There's a difference, _ya know._ "

Shibi watched the exchange from the doorway and tilted his head. Normally, he would disapprove, but he guessed it was fine as long as it only happened in the confines of their home. Furthermore, the two shared a special bond that was different from her other relationships.

Both he and Shino had noticed that she tended to be more, while not necessarily open, expressive of her feelings with the boy. He surmised it was because their family was in the habit of keeping their composure at all times, even among themselves. He didn't think it made Emiko in any way uncomfortable, but Naruto was basically an anomaly in their compound, and his divergent behavior stipulated an atypical response from her.

No matter what other people might say, establishing strong rapports demanded compromise from all parties involved. There was no such thing as an unconditional relationship.

Otherwise, the concept of 'breaking up' or 'falling apart' wouldn't exist.

Unsurprisingly, their closeness had been noticed by everyone in the clan, including the council members. There had been questions from them of whether they would make a good match, but he'd put his foot down harshly on that one. No one could deny the fact that he _and_ his daughter were willing to make great sacrifices for the village, but an arranged marriage was something he would not let her go through with, especially since it was illogical in the first place.

Even a blind bat could see that both children cared for one another in the purely platonic sense. Forcing them into an arranged marriage could destroy whatever kinship they had. He was lucky, though, that the council members of his clan thought logically first and foremost, quickly coming to realize that his argument held weight. They never asked again after that.

His daughter's sensei, though? When he'd heard just who it was, he was almost afflicted with a case of ocular myokymia. He had nothing against Might Gai per se - he was more than strong enough to protect and teach his daughter - but the man had an annoying habit of getting the rare emotional reactions out of an Aburame. He didn't know if the fool had made it his personal mission or something, or if he just did it for giggles. He _did_ constantly set up all sorts of challenges for himself, from unorthodox to the nigh-impossible.

He worried a little that he would succedd with Emiko as well. Few could outdo her when it came to self-control, but Gai was a special case. At first, his daughter had learned emotional composure out of need, which quickly transformed into a mere fact of everyday life, and then to pride in her ability to keep herself calm.

However, it wasn't her he worried for, but her sensei.

Turning away from the gardens, he almost snorted; her team had no clue of the amount of damage his daughter could cause without actually harming them physically. She had a mind that had an innate ability to understand the human psyche and a way with words that could either break someone or build them up. A dangerous combination, that was for certain. If Gai were to successfully cause a lapse in her self-control, she might retaliate in, what could very well be described as, a childish manner.

Because for all her maturity and desire to be professional at virtually times, Emiko was still a child.

He wondered what she'd do. Maybe she'd make him renege on his 'youth' mantra, or convince him that he was getting old and past his prime, causing him to shout and cry in despondency over his 'youthful days' being gone. It'd definitely be amusing, but also bad for the village if they lost one of their most powerful jonin. Perhaps he ought to schedule a chat with his daughter to make sure that didn't happen.

On a different note, it was one of the reasons why Ibiki Morino had made an offer to take her on as his part-time apprentice when she was not training or on a mission with her team. The interrogator had gained an interest after hearing from Inoichi on how she skillfully convinced his daughter and Sakura to take their training seriously, though both he and Shibi had found the word 'manipulate' more correct. Ibiki was sold after having observed her interactions with Sasuke, and how she managed to establish a healthy, semi-positive rapport with him.

Though it held a lot of merit, he would not consent 'til after she spent a certain amount of time with her squad. She needed to focus on working with her team and adjusting to the new arrangements first before apprenticing under that sadist.

Even his genius daughter was capable of getting ahead of herself.

* * *

 **One Month Later**

Emiko was not a happy camper, not one bit. Her hive buzzed louder than usual as she sent a slightly cold look at Tora; she hated cats ever since she was little and barely tolerated dogs, except for the highly intelligent ninken. She didn't fully understand why but had a faint recollection of an old woman showing her pictures of cross-bred cats in a mind-numbingly boring fashion, effectively ruining the animal's appeal forever.

"Good job, my youthful student!" Gai cheered loudly with Lee joining him. It was her use of warrior beetles that led to them catching the demon spawn in record time, making the normally despised mission a cakewalk for Team 9.

Their vociferousness caused Neji to scowl in irritation, and also seemed to be the reason why Tora was most attached to him, his quiet poise being much more preferable to her sensitive ears than the other two males' raucous form of articulation. Emiko speculated that her hive's and Chomei's presence made the feline avoid the kunoichi, which was perfectly fine by her.

 **"And fine by me too,"** the tailed beast grumbled, rather immaturely in her opinion. **"Like I give a crap about what some dumb, hirsute mammal thinks of the Lucky Seven."**

"Let's go." Neji sighed, casting an aloof glance at the two bakas as Emiko inclined her head in his direction. At least he had her to keep him from losing his sanity. While the princess was standoffish - though he knew he really wasn't one to talk - she was still a highly capable kunoichi and worthy of his acknowledgment, especially after she had commented on their second day that she had no need nor want for his acceptance as long as he didn't let his feelings get in the way of a mission.

He'd been a bit miffed, admittedly, but it also made a swell of respect rise within him. Hard not to respect such a professional, no-nonsense attitude with his other two teammates being as they were.

It took them less than half an hour to reach the Mission Assignment office, where the three genin entered before their sensei.

"Kakashi! My rival!" Gai exclaimed merrily when they nearly ran into the jonin. The taijutsu expert grinned wider as the man barely glanced up from his book, "This is my youthful team: Rock Lee, Neji Hyuuga and Emiko Aburame!" He pointed each of them out, respectively. Kakashi perked up at the last name and peered down at her.

Emiko's face went emotionless as she looked at the male before her. She remembered him well and was grateful she no longer had the urge to sick her hive on him for what he had done. She could have all the forgiveness in the world, except for those who harmed those she cared about. However, even though the man had let those drunk civilians have their way with Naruto, her father had had a conversation with her that caused a lot of her anger to quell over time.

 _"I don't condone what he did, and neither should you, but don't be so quick to cast judgment on him. We ninja may be taught to rule our emotions, but we're human still, and we feel pain and sorrow as much as we feel joy and happiness. What Kakashi went through... well, it's safe to say it's a miracle he functions as well as he does. Very few can claim they know what it feels like to lose both their family and their closest friends... and all on_ separate _occasions before they even reached adulthood."_

 _He then gave her a meaningful look, so strong she sat up even straighter on her bed._

 _"Even the best of us can be overwhelmed by our emotions. If that weren't the case, you wouldn't be here right now."_

That sort of pain was beyond anything she, Sasuke, Neji and Naruto had gone through, she had come to terms with that. Still, she could do without him reading those books written by Lord Jiraiya, the ones her father deprecated.

Smut was the word Naruto liked to use.

Kakashi found he wanted to twitch as the young Aburame gave him a neutral stare, neither angry nor happy. He remembered this one, alright. From what he'd heard, she was very strong for her age, enough that she could put some green chunin flat on their asses. While he sensed that there didn't seem to be any hard feelings anymore, that didn't really equate forgiveness. Not that he blamed her. He knew how deplorable he had acted; he _still_ prayed for his parents to forgive him.

That was the day the Hokage had forcibly had him reinstated back into the jonin roster. The old man had reasoned that the best way for him to heal was to catch up with the friends and comrades he had left, not to try and bury his issues with bloody, psychologically-damaging Anbu wetwork, using the porcelain masks to... well, _mask_ his inner turmoil.

Needless to say, he unwillingly went back to doing regular missions, afraid that the pain would only worsen if he were to bond with his former classmates and then watch them die gruesomely on a mission. Though far from dandy, he was grateful for the choice now, feeling loads better after spending time with his friends.

He nodded to them as he stepped out, and the team turned their attention to the Hokage.

"Okay, among your available choices, we have a mission for babysitting my grandson, shopping for the Daimyo's wife and dog walking," Sarutobi spoke once they were in front of him.

"Well, you three? Which one shall we accept?" Gai asked, refraining from yelling the words as he remembered the request from his female genin. He figured out if he toned it down inside, both her and Neji were more inclined to tolerate his large amounts of youthful vigor outside when training.

"Babysitting," Neji answered sharply, Emiko nodding in agreement with more haste than usual. The last time they took a grocery shopping mission, their sensei and teammate turned it into a contest.

"Very well. You can pick him up from the daycare. They will be expecting you, and Emiko will show the way, considering she's babysat Konohamaru before." The Hokage waved them off as Emiko inclined her head with a bow of respect towards him. He had taken his grandson with him once to the Aburame compound to get better acquainted with one of Konoha's noble clans. The small bundle of energy had formed a surprisingly friendly bond with the stoic girl, not quite as close as the one with Naruto, but he would listen to Team 9 as long as she was there to hang out with him.

* * *

 **Daycare**

"Emi! Emi!"

Emiko bent down to pick up the seven-year-old when he came stumbling into her arms, ignoring the weird and amused looks from her teammates. She adjusted her hold on him as the chunin on duty came over to them. "Nina-san," the heiress greeted with a bow of her head to her still nanny and protector, who returned the gesture

"Babysitting, I see. Well, here are Konohamaru's things. Have fun." Nina's collected visage softened a bit towards her charge before looking over at the girl's team. She fought the urge to smirk, having realized why Shibi was in a mood. Being initially a foreigner, Gai was more tolerable to her than the rest of the Aburame and could find amusement in his antics.

He'd even once asked her if she would help him make Lord Shibi lose his composure, but she had declined. Funny or not, the man was still her superior.

She watched as they walked away, her mouth forming a grim line. Like the typical Aburame, she didn't put too much stock on baseless hunches, but there was a part of her whispering like the passing wind, telling her that times were about to change soon. This peace had lasted for a fairly long while already, and they were lucky it did after the Nine-tails' attack and Orochimaru's defection.

But nothing lasted forever, especially peace in the ninja world. She just hoped that Emiko would live through it, though wishing she would manage that unscathed was too much to realistically hope for, despite her feelings for the heiress. She wanted to believe that if Emiko stuck with her team, if all four of them could fight in sync with each other, that all would be alright.

But she knew from experience, teams with better odds had left the borders of Konoha and never came back.

She tried to fight off the feeling of dread as she went back to work.

* * *

 **Elsewhere**

"What do you mean she is gone?" Albus Dumbledore demanded of Moody, having sent the war veteran to go and check on Harriet Potter.

"Exactly what I said, Dumbledore. The Dursleys said she's been gone for the last eight years or so, like she ran away from them. Although, I can't really blame her, seeing how foul that poor excuse of a family was," Alastor growled out, not in the mood right now as he had wanted to curse the muggle family badly.

"She must be found and brought here. Hogwarts starts in less than a month, and she must be here to face the Dark Lord when he returns," Dumbledore spoke with a grave tone. "Otherwise, I fear for the Wizarding World."

While his tone was one of concern, the main emotion he felt was rage. He was right pissed! The weapon that would bring about the salvation of Magical Britain, as the prophecy had foretold, was missing. All that effort, all that planning and scheming to save the everybody and _this_ happened.

...No.

It was unacceptable. He would not allow for all his hard work to go down the drain as the muggles liked to say. Abusive family or not, they would find her and bring her back to the Dursleys.

At _all_ costs.


End file.
